Sparks
by LizzeXX
Summary: Arthur/OC – When Merlin's sister Marayna arrives in Camelot, Arthur's life will never be the same. Where Merlin is open and honest, Marayna is coarse and unashamed, leaving Arthur constantly bewildered and intrigued. As the fate and future of Camelot changes around her very presence, the real question is…will Arthur even survive TWO servants? First in the Draconian Prophecies.
1. Valiant

A/N: Hello! And welcome to the first story, Sparks, of my Merlin Series the Draconian Prophecies :) This is my first attempt at a Merlin story and I'm very excited to try and incorporate my OC into the series :) I've written some other stories for Doctor Who, Supernatural, Sherlock, Star Trek, and Thor for anyone who might be interested ;) This story will follow the episodes but will also have an original chapter between most of them (except 2-parters) :)

This story should be about 23 chapters long and updated daily. This will also be an Arthur/OC (Merlin/Morgana, Gwen/Lancelot) story ;)

For a reference, I picture the OC, Marayna, to look something like Natalie Dormer :)

I hope you enjoy :)

~8~ is a scene break.

"_italics_" are spells.

'_italics_' is telepathic talk between magic users.

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin...or I'd have probably tried the impossible, to buy the Château de Pierrefonds :)

~8~

Valiant

Morgana was sleeping, finally _sleeping_ and it felt wonderful. Lately, the past couple months (well, years really, but they were getting worse now) she had been having terrible dreams, nightmares to be honest. She always awoke with the horrible feeling that it was an omen of things to come. The past few weeks they had become more frequent as well as more frightening, various flashes of Arthur dying had flown across her mind, each worse than the last. She had almost been afraid to sleep a few nights. But this time...she smiled as she slept, the relief of having peaceful dreams was a welcome change.

Unfortunately it could never last.

She sprang up in bed with a gasp, her hair flying past her shoulders from the force of her movement. Her eyes scanned the bed, unseeing, as she recalled the dream. Her breathing was fast, her heart racing as one hand clutched at her chest, yet, unlike previous nights…a smile crept its way onto her face and she bit her lip in expectant joy.

Finally, something truly GOOD was going to happen.

~8~

The next morning would find Prince Arthur and his new manservant, Merlin, standing in a field before the castle, preparing for that day's tournament with a little light sparring…well, _Arthur _was sparing while Merlin tried his very best to _not_ get beaten to a bloody pulp as the future king attacked him relentlessly.

It didn't seem to be working though.

"Ready?" Arthur asked as Merlin gasped for the last few breaths of air before he would have to put his helmet back on once again.

"Would it make any difference if I said no?" Merlin replied, trying to say something, anything, that would give him a bit more time.

"Not really," Arthur shook his head, picking up his sword once more in preparation, before running at the unprepared young man. Merlin quickly put his helmet back on and was just barely able to lift his shield before Arthur slammed into it. The prince kept calling out movements for Merlin to follow, though he was having a hard time connecting the moves he heard with the moves he was currently using to protect himself, "Come on Merlin! You're not even _trying_," he struck at Merlin a few more times until the poor lad fell to the ground, his helmet rolling off as the wind was knocked out of him. Arthur strode over and peered down at him, "You're braver than you look," he mused, "Most servants collapse after the first blow."

Merlin tried to laugh at that, but the stars floating before his eyes made it hard to think, "Is it over?"

Arthur smirked, "That was just the warm up," he said, before lowering a mace he held in his other hand, "How's your mace work coming along?"

Merlin groaned before picking himself up off the ground. He crouched over, breathing heavily, the armor he was wearing really wasn't helping him either. It was heavy and hot and hard to move in, he was surprised he hadn't collapsed as soon as it was put on him! He looked over and saw Arthur about to raise his mace and quickly tried to utter something to stop him…when another voice cut in.

"Merlin?"

Both he and Arthur turned at the sound.

"Merlin!"

And then Arthur blinked.

A moment ago there was a girl standing not ten feet from them and now his manservant was once again on the ground...but with the girl on top of him this time. He rolled his eyes at the couple, didn't that girl know he was the Prince of Camelot? And here she was interrupting his practice and preparation for the tournament!

Well, that just wouldn't do.

"Merlin, this is not the time nor the place for that," he spoke condescendingly, smirking as the two on the ground had the decency to quickly try to stand. Or at least Merlin _tried_ to stand, he was currently being helped up by the girl, "If you must, take your woman to your chambers or something."

Both Merlin and the young woman blanched at what he had said before the girl stepped up and Arthur finally got to see what she looked like. She was fair to look at he supposed, with slightly tanned skin that seemed more the result of travel than a natural complexion and dark hair, a bit gangly and thin. Her blue eyes resembled what he had seen of the ocean as a small boy and sparkled with fire. Her hair was held back behind her so he didn't know how long it was, though from the front he knew it probably fell in waves. He glanced away from her face to take in her clothing only to have his eyes widen in shock at what he saw.

She wasn't wearing a dress!

He would have expected something at least resembling a dress, as was proper for a woman, surely not a well made one, but still something! Instead she was wearing a long, dark lavender tunic made of some material resembling linen that fell to her thighs. Where she should have been wearing a skirt, she only wore a pair of black leggings complimented by old brown boots that wrapped and laced up to her mid-shin. Over her shoulder he could see she was carrying some sort of old, brown traveling sack.

If he was quite honest with himself, he couldn't, for the life of him, imagine how_ Merlin_ had managed to catch this one.

"I'm not certain what the laws on incest are here at Camelot," she spoke, startling Arthur out of his thoughts. The way she spoke, it definitely_ wasn't_ as gentle and light as a lady of the court, not that he expected as much, she most certainly was a commoner, "But in Ealdor, it's quite frowned upon."

And _that_ was when her words sunk in, "Wha…"

Merlin laughed, stepping up beside the girl and draping an arm around her, "Arthur, this is my sister, Marayna."

"_Sister_?!" he asked, as though he had never heard the word before. He kept looking back and forth between the two, finally starting to see some family resemblance. Their hair, their eyes, the way they were both smiling, their cheekbones, it was the same, they were even similar in height though Marayna was just an inch shorter than Merlin it appeared.

Marayna nodded before she held up a finger, a look of remembrance came to her, "Speaking of that," she turned and deftly punched Merlin in the arm _not_ covered in armor.

"Ow!" Merlin shouted, rubbing his arm as he glared at her, "What was _that _for?"

She gave him a look as though the answer should be quite obvious, Arthur couldn't help but wonder if all women knew that look, Morgana certainly gave it to him enough times for him to recognize it, "You were supposed to wait for me to get back from Aunt Elaine's before you went to see Uncle Gaius!"

"Sorry," Merlin mumbled sheepishly, still rubbing his arm in a combination of pain and embarrassment. It was one thing to forget to bring an item like a piece of clothing with you on a journey, it was quite another to forget a _person_, especially if said person was your younger sister, "Things…_happened_, and mother wanted me to head out earlier."

She eyed him, knowing there was more to the story than he was saying out loud, '_What 'happened?'_' he heard in his mind. It was a talent they had had for as long as they could remember, they had always been able to speak to each other in their minds, ever since they were children.

He glanced at Arthur, '_I'll tell you later._'

She nodded after a moment and was about to speak when she was cut off, "Your sister?" Arthur blinked, _still_ in shock over the whole turn of events. The girl just laughed at his expression, though she had to admit, he was quite cute while doing an impersonation of a fish.

Merlin shook his head, "With your permission, I'd like to get my sister situated?"

When Arthur didn't make a noise in protest, Merlin took that as a 'yes' and led Marayna back towards the castle.

~8~

Marayna ended up half-carrying her brother the rest of the way to the castle, he was in far too much pain from the thrashing Arthur had just given him to walk any less stiffly than he was. Marayna found herself becoming quite angry about that. What had Merlin done to deserve such treatment? She still didn't know why he had even allowed it to happen, both of them were more than capable of defending themselves...though using magic in _Camelot_ was probably NOT the wisest thing to do. If it hadn't been for their uncle being there and having experience in magic, she doubted their mother would have even allowed them to come within a mile of the kingdom.

She held the door to Gaius's chambers, the physician's chambers, open for Merlin to enter, setting the helmet she'd carried for him on the table and helping to lead Merlin to a chair only moments before Gaius entered the room and looked up at the new face.

"Marayna?" he breathed, stopping in his ministrations, grinding up some herb or another for a new medicine, to stare at her.

"Hello uncle," she smiled, walking over to him as Merlin began taking off his armor and gave him a hug.

"No," he shook his head, pulling away slightly, "You can't be little Rayna, you were seven last I saw you!"

Marayna stared at him for a moment, "That was thirteen years ago uncle."

"Ah," he nodded in realization, yes that made sense, "What brings you to Camelot?"

"You mean Merlin didn't tell you?" she frowned, glancing over at her brother, who had just gotten the last of his armor off. He was much too sore for her to hit him again, so she just sighed and shook her head, turning back to her uncle, "I was supposed to come with him to visit you, but I arrived late and Sir Impatient couldn't find it in himself to wait a day or two. I'm still very miffed about that by the way Merlin."

"I could tell," Merlin muttered, rubbing his arm where she had punched him.

Gaius just laughed and made his way over to Merlin, "How was your first day as Arthur's servant?"

"Do you hear clanging?" he asked, rubbing his ear.

Marayna took a seat next to him on the table, "Arthur's servant? You're a _servant_?"

Merlin nodded grimly, "To the Prince, unfortunately."

"What did you do to deserve that?" she gaped, reaching out to help her uncle in checking Merlin for serious injuries.

"Saved his life."

"How is _that _fair?" she asked, moving his shoulder slightly.

He winced in pain and Gaius immediately went to work on it himself, "I'm not sure fairness comes into it," Gaius sighed, "You never know, it might be fun."

Both Merlin and Marayna snorted at the thought, "You think mucking out Arthur's horses is going to be fun?" Merlin scoffed, "You should _hear_ my list of duties."

"We all have our duties," Gaius remarked wisely, "Even Arthur."

"It must be _so_ tough for him," Merlin muttered, somewhat bitterly, "With all the girls and the glory…"

"Well, he _is_ the future King. People expect so much from him. He's under a lot of pressure."

"That makes two of us," Merlin strained to get out as Gaius hit a particularly painful area, "I've still got to learn all about etiquette and tournaments by the morning," he glanced around until his gaze landed on a book at the other end of the table, "_Onhríne achtung bregdan_," he whispered and the book slid down the table, opening before him all on its own.

Merlin grinned as he saw the wide smile appear on his sister's face at his use of magic, though it was short-lived because a moment later there appeared a slight sting on the back of his head from where Gaius had hit him.

"What have I told you about using magic like this?" Gaius chastised.

"Well if I could actually _feel_ my arms I'd pick up the book myself," Merlin quipped back, Marayna stifling a giggle.

"Never mind your arms! What do I do if you get caught?" Gaius asked, sobering them both quickly.

"What _would_ you do?" Marayna eyed her uncle.

He sighed, "Just…make sure that doesn't happen, both of you, for all our sakes."

As Gaius walked away, back to his remedy, Merlin couldn't help but notice the concerned look on his sister's face and quickly took her hand in his. She smiled at him, hopping off the table to move behind him, rubbing his shoulders to help, occasionally leaning over his arm to turn the page for him. He smiled in reply and they both got to work memorizing as much about armor as they could. Marayna knew he would need as much help as possible and, though she didn't know all the names for armor nor was it her responsibility to learn them, he was her brother and she would always do whatever it was she could to help him.

He, their mother, and their uncle and aunt were all the family she had.

~8~

Luckily for Merlin, Gwen was more than happy to help the boy from the stocks learn about armor. Though, she seemed a bit more excited at the prospect of teaching another female about it than Merlin himself. Marayna was there, of course, offering support for Merlin and conversation for Gwen as she tried to teach the boy all he needed to know. It didn't look like it was quite working as Merlin paced the room, muttering about the different names for the armor he was currently wearing, Gwen attempting a more hands-on approach of dressing him in the armor and explaining what each piece was. With one last wish of good luck, Merlin and Marayna were out the door and headed to the tournament to prepare Arthur…well, _Merlin_ was preparing Arthur, Marayna had perched herself out of the way to watch and try to give subtle clues to Merlin about the items she remembered, which wasn't much. Together, and with hours to spare, they probably could have gotten Arthur all sorted out and ready, but they didn't have the time and Marayna wasn't technically allowed to help the manservant and master.

Arthur didn't seem too pleased with Merlin's clumsy manner of preparing him for the upcoming event either. Merlin was currently trying to lock in the strap around Arthur's wrist and was having a difficult time of it, "You _do_ know the tournament starts today?!" Arthur snapped.

"Yes sire," Merlin replied tensely, righting the strap and moving to pick up the red cloak on the table behind him. He glanced up at his sister, sitting on the table like she always did (she had a rather weird habit of doing that, sitting on top of things not meant to be sat on, tables, barrels, chests, instead of chairs) and gave her a sly smirk and a wink before turning and draping the cloak around Arthur, "Are you nervous?" he asked casually as Marayna smirked, seeing what her brother was doing.

"I don't get nervous," Arthur answered and Marayna snorted, making him turn his attention to her, his eyes narrowing, "What's so funny?"

"Nothing," she glanced at him, "But doesn't everyone get nervous now and again?"

"Will you shut up!?" he half-shouted before he mentally smacked himself for yelling at a woman. Though, she didn't seem too taken aback by it, she merely looked away, smiling, knowing she had struck a nerve.

Well that's what he got for beating on her brother.

Arthur's gaze lingered on her for a moment longer than necessary as he took her in. She had changed out of her traveling clothes and was now wearing a white linen peasant's shirt with a thick black belt wrapped just under her bust, not that his gaze lingered there for a moment longer than was proper. The shirt was just as long as her other, allowing for her black leggings and boots. Her hair was out of the bun he had seen it locked in when she and Merlin had moved past him to get to the castle, and now fell over her shoulder in waves of thin curls from where it was tied at the side of the base of her neck.

His thoughts were disturbed by Merlin backing away from him, "I think you're all set."

Arthur rolled his eyes, "Aren't you forgetting something?" he shook his head when he noticed both Merlin and Marayna looking at him in confusion, "My sword?" he stressed as though spelling it out for them. It would be rather difficult to compete without a weapon.

"Oh yeah!" Merlin shouted, turning to pick up the piece of metal and handing it to Arthur, "You'll be needing that…"

But Arthur had already walked away, grabbing it in the process, "That went well," a voice remarked behind him.

He turned to see his sister smirking at him, "Shut up."

She simply laughed, hopping off the table as she took his arm and walked with him out to the tournament corner to watch the proceedings.

~8~

Morgana couldn't help but notice, as the tournament began, the appearance of a second head near the corner of the arena. She was always best at noticing things, especially if those things were out of place. She fully expected Merlin to be standing there, but to see another person as well threw her, especially considering that other person was clearly a woman. Her eyes narrowed just a fraction as she tried to get a better look at the girl in question.

"Gwen," she turned, leaning a little towards her maidservant and friend as she stood beside her, "Who's that over there, by Merlin?"

Gwen squinted, seeing Merlin first and then the girl beside him, and smiled, "That's Marayna, my Lady, Merlin's sister."

"Merlin's sister?" she repeated, a slightly relieved tone in her voice that did not go undetected by Gwen.

"Yes, my Lady."

Morgana nodded, smiling ever so slightly, "I should hope to see her at the reception. I'd like very much to meet her."

Gwen smiled, though she doubted the girl would be present that night. Personal servants of the royals were one thing, siblings of such servants were another. Though, she couldn't help but wonder why her Lady seemed so keen on meeting Merlin's sister.

~8~

Merlin couldn't help but smile as he watched the fight, but it wasn't the smile of seeing his master beating the competition, it was the smile of a brother glad that his sister was enjoying herself. He knew Marayna had a fancy for fighting. When they were younger and played the 'Knight and Damsel in Distress,' she always called the knight and he always had to be the damsel. Not that he would _ever_ tell anyone about that, Arthur would mock him incessantly if he ever found out. But regardless of that, he was always the knight in shining armor that came to her rescue when the village boys used to tease her.

He liked to joke she was just violent, but she would always counter back that he was a lover and she was a fighter. Their mother, in very rare moments where she spoke of their father, would always comment that Merlin had his magic and her nature while Marayna had her spirit and his skill to fight. She wasn't exceptional, hardly, the most they'd ever seen of weapons was when a small group of knights had once been stationed near Ealdor on a patrol of sorts. But apparently their father was a trained soldier, in a way, they never really got much out of their mother about him. But...it was nice to know they shared some qualities with the man they'd never met.

Watching his sister, he realized she was probably more excited for Arthur's victories than he was. It was an amusing thought. All too soon though, the beginnings of the tournament came to an end and the knights began retiring from the arena, leaving Merlin and Marayna to follow diligently behind Arthur.

"What did you think Aya?" Merlin whispered. It was his nickname for her. When they were children, he couldn't seem to pronounce the 'n' in Rayna and had ended up calling her Mar-aya for a year or two, soon to be shortened down to just Aya. It was his special name for her and god help the poor soul who tried to call her that besides him.

"It was fantastic!" she whispered back, "I can't wait to see what tomorrow's like."

Merlin laughed at her enthusiasm and went over to a rather impatient-looking Arthur to help him remove his armor. Valiant, one of the other knights, was making his way toward the entrance to the castle when he noticed Arthur and them standing just a ways away. He changed direction, thinking it best to address the prince, especially now they had made eye contact.

"May I offer you my congratulations on your victories today," he nodded to Arthur.

Arthur nodded in return, "Likewise."

His gaze drifted over towards Marayna, who was holding Arthur's helmet and cloak for Merlin, "And I hope to see you at the reception this evening," he smiled and bowed before walking away.

"Creep," she muttered, as did Merlin.

'_There's something…off…about him,_' she whispered to Merlin in his mind.

'_He's just an arrogant man who thinks he can have whatever he wants,_' came Merlin's bitter reply. She glanced up at Merlin to see him glaring daggers at the knight's back and very nearly burst out laughing at her brother's protectiveness. He always did that whenever a man showed interest in her, which didn't happen often, at least not with the boys in their village. Not only did they think her odd already, they thought both of them odd, but...she just wasn't 'wife' material to any of them. It was mostly others entered the village on their travels that he would get that look. She loved it, knowing her brother was watching out for her, not that he had to, she just...hadn't met a man that she was interested in yet. She'd met interesting men, yes, but just...not the one for her yet.

Arthur looked over at the two after realizing he too was glaring at the knight. He looked back and forth between them as Merlin had ceased in his job, "For tomorrow," he spoke loudly, getting Merlin's attention, "You need to repair my shield, wash my tunic, clean my boots, sharpen my sword, and polish my chainmail," he listed before walking off towards the castle.

Merlin's shoulders slumped, "Prat," he heard mumbled from next to him. He couldn't help but smirk and laugh at his sister's words, apparently she felt the exact same way about Arthur as he did, "Come on," she sighed after a moment, "I'll help you. I'll wash the tunic and clean the boots if you sharpen the sword and repair the shield. Then we can polish the chainmail together."

Merlin's smirk widened, "I have a better idea…"

~8~

Later that night would find Merlin sitting on his bed as Marayna watched all of Arthur's items wash and repair themselves, all of them floating about the room as the different brushes and cloths cleaned them, "That is truly amazing," she murmured, plopping herself down next to her brother on his small cot, the first of two in the small room, he'd cleaned off the second one for her to use as her own bed, "It must save loads of time."

"I wouldn't know," he answered truthfully, "Gaius is pretty strict about using magic around here."

"I assumed so," she replied, leaning on his shoulder, resting her head on it, to look at the book in his hands, "Is this your spell book?"

He nodded, he had told her all about it last night as they took a break from researching armor and had even gotten to explain why he'd left the village without her. Apparently someone had discovered Merlin's secret and their mother feared a great deal what would happen if it got out while Merlin was still there. She understood completely now…but he still deserved that punch.

He held the book out a bit so she could look on at the spells listed and described within the ancient tome, tilting his own head to rest against hers in comfort as they read. They had gotten a few pages in...when suddenly the door was opened and all the items previously floating in the air fell to the floor, Gaius standing in the doorway.

"Are you using magic again?!" he half-shouted.

"Noooo," they both answered at once, shaking their heads in innocence.

"What's all this then?" he looked at them for a few moments, waiting for an answer, but when he received nothing except blinking he shook his head with a weary sigh, "I just came to tell you that supper's ready."

And with that, he stalked out the door, muttering something about stocks and lazy servants. Merlin and Marayna glanced at each other for a moment before bursting out with laughter.

~8~

Meanwhile, in another part of the castle, scores of men were lined up, waiting their turn to greet the king and his young, and very beautiful, ward. Morgana kept glancing around surreptitiously, trying to spy someone she knew wouldn't be at the reception, but she couldn't help but hope. She was anticipating meeting Merlin's sister in a way that was unbefitting a lady of her status, however, she was anxious to see if the girl in question bore any resemblance to the girl she had seen in her dreams just the other night. She so hoped so. Her thoughts were distracted by a knight in bright yellow stepping up to the King.

"Knight Valiant of the Western Isles, my Lord," Valiant stated as he stood before the king.

"I saw you fighting today," Uther mentioned, "You have a very aggressive style."

Valiant nodded, "As my Lord said, 'to lose is to be disgraced.'"

"I couldn't agree more," Uther replied, impressed, as he reached out to turn the knight to face the young woman standing next to him, "Knight Valiant, may I present the Lady Morgana, my ward."

Valiant stepped up, bending down and taking the lady's hand in his own, bestowing a kiss to it, "My Lady."

She smiled, "I saw you competing today."

"I saw you watching," he smirked, "I understand the tournament champion has the honor of escorting my Lady to the feast?"

"That is correct," she answered.

"Then I will give everything to win the tournament," he nodded, "My Lady."

He stepped away, and she couldn't help but watch him go. He was very dashing, even if he wasn't for her, she didn't prefer those sorts having grown up around them her entire life. The next knight stepped up and it took everything she had not to roll her eyes.

"Arthur," Uther acknowledged.

"Father," Arthur copied, moving to face Morgana.

"They all seem rather impressed with Knight Valiant," she commented, if just to irritate him.

"They're not playing anyone else," he replied, just as casually.

"You're not jealous, are you?" she remarked.

"I don't see there's anything to be jealous of," he stuck back, smirking as the smile began to fall from her face.

Morgana subtly turned to Gwen as Arthur too walked off, "Could Arthur _be_ any more annoying? I so hope Knight Valiant wins the tournament."

"You don't really mean that," Gwen replied knowingly.

"Yes, I do," Morgana answered seriously. She honestly _did_ wish Valiant, or any other knight besides Arthur won. She did not wish to be his escort, or rather, she might possibly know another woman who would be _much_ better suited for his arm.

~8~

Marayna was _still_ giggling about Gaius catching them as she journeyed with Merlin to the armory to collect the rest of Arthur's armor. Her eyes lit up as she saw the various weapons lying about before moving to examine a small table of daggers and such as Merlin headed over to the table to make sure all of Arthur's items were present. She was running a hand over expertly crafted sais when a soft hissing noise reached her. She turned around just as Merlin did.

'_Do you hear that?_' she asked.

He nodded, stepping away from the table and following the hissing, Marayna following close behind. Soon enough they came upon a beautiful shield with three green snakes painted on the front, Valiant's shield they recognized.

They knelt down to get a closer look at the intricate artwork, '_Something's not right,_' she thought to Merlin before they both jumped at the sight. A snake, one of the _painted_ snakes, had _winked_ at them! Before they could react past that a sword was firmly pressed to Marayna's throat, making her stiffen and grab Merlin's hand.

"Can I help you with something?" a cold voice demanded behind her.

Merlin took a step back, pulling Marayna back with him and away from the tip of Valiant's sword, "No, we're good," Merlin answered, "I was, um…"

"Gathering his master's armor," Marayna saved.

'_Thanks,_' he spoke.

'_You're welcome,_' she replied before fixing her attention back on Valiant as the man eyed them suspiciously.

"You best be on your way," he said, lowering his sword just a bit. Merlin jumped at the chance and immediately began grabbing up armfuls of armor along with Marayna and rushing out of the room.

~8~

"You did all this on your own?" Arthur asked, vaguely impressed as he inspected the armor laid out before him.

Merlin smirked, winking at Marayna while Arthur's back was turned, "Marayna helped."

"I thought as much," he murmured before turning to Merlin, "Now let's see if you can get me into it without forgetting anything."

Marayna rolled her eyes as Merlin stepped forward to begin dressing Arthur. There were one or two times where Merlin almost put something on out of order, but a quick mental note from Marayna saved him from another snide remark from Arthur. Finally the helmet and sword were all that remained.

"That was much better," Arthur commented, smiling a bit as he watched the girl smile proudly up at her brother, feeling a soft ping in his heart at the sight, the closest thing he had to a sister was Morgana and she hardly ever appeared that proud of him, "Not that it could've got any worse."

"Oh you don't know Merlin," Marayna teased, nudging her brother as she moved to stand beside him, linking their arms together, but smiling up at him so he'd know she was just joking.

Merlin shook his head, ignoring her, "I'm a fast learner."

"I hope for your sake that's true," Arthur replied, beginning to head out the door.

"Good luck," he heard Marayna call, he turned to see her offer him a smile which he returned with a nod before heading out the door.

Merlin looked down at his sister, then at the door, and back to his sister, seeing..._something_...in her eyes he'd never seen when she looked at other men before, "Am I going to be glaring at the prince now?"

She just laughed, shaking her head and walking out the door with him following after.

~8~

Arthur walked into the arena, only to be greeted by the vast cheers of the people of Camelot as he began his latest duel. Merlin and Marayna couldn't help but smile at that.

'_At least the people seem to like him,_' she muttered to him.

'_Wait till they find out how much of a prat he is,_' Merlin quipped back.

"Is it my imagination," a voice cut in beside them, "Or are you beginning to enjoy yourself?"

Merlin smiled at Gaius, "Well…it isn't totally horrible all the time," he admitted, Marayna just smiled at the admission. She could tell that Merlin already thought of Arthur as something of a friend. Now if Arthur could just get over himself enough to see the same in Merlin…

"Yes!" Merlin shouted beside her, drawing her back to earth in time to see Arthur gain the upper hand in his fight.

Knight Valiant just after Arthur, though neither she nor Merlin were too keen to cheer for him, choosing instead to root for his opponent, Knight Ewan. Frowns marred their faces though when Ewan suddenly collapsed from under Valiant's shield, leaving Valiant to claim the victory.

Merlin rushed off to help Arthur after the tournament wound down while Marayna went to find Gaius and see about Ewan's well-being, "How is he?" she asked, entering his chambers to see the knight was laid out on an examination bench in the middle of the room, Gaius hovering over him.

"Not good," Gaius replied, straightforward, "Look at this, these two small wounds. It's a snake bite."

"A snake bite?" she frowned, peering closer at the two small puncture marks on the man's neck.

"How can he have been bitten by a snake?" Merlin inquired as he entered the room, having heard his sister's question, "He was injured in the _sword_ fight."

"The symptoms are consistent with a poisoning," Gaius explained, "Slow pulse, fever, paralysis..."

"Can you heal him?" Marayna looked at her uncle.

"Well, if it is a snake bite I'll have to extract venom from the snake that bit him to make an antidote."

"What happens if he doesn't get the antidote?" asked Merlin.

"Then I'm afraid there's nothing more I can do for him," Gaius sighed, "He's going to die."

"He was fighting Knight Valiant..." Merlin mumbled.

"What's that?" Gaius muttered, not looking up.

Merlin opened his mouth to speak when Marayna quickly slapped a hand over it, "Nothing," she replied quickly before dragging Merlin out of the room, not removing her hand till the door to the chamber had shut behind them.

'_We need proof,_' she thought so that Gaius wouldn't hear them.

'_Well then,_' Merlin replied, holding out his hand with a smirk, '_Let's find Valiant shall we?_'

She grinned widely and took his hand, the two of them racing down the halls.

~8~

It didn't take long to track down the knight in question, being a servant _did_ have its perks. Merlin knew the ins and outs of the castle, like who was staying in the castle and where. They quietly crept to Valiant's room and pushed the thankfully-unlocked door open just enough that they could see him. He was standing before his shield, holding something in his hands.

'_What on earth is he doing?_' Marayna thought.

'_No idea._'

Their questions were answered only a moment later when the snakes on the shield came alive and began snipping at the object in the knight's hand, a mouse. Now it was _Merlin's_ turn to hold his hand over his sister's mouth as Marayna gasped and nearly screamed at the sight. She was terribly afraid of mice, deathly afraid of them actually, it was one reason she didn't like sitting on objects where her feet could touch the floor. She couldn't see her feet when there was a table blocking the view of them, who knew if a mouse or a rat were to scamper across her feet?! Fortunately for her, though unfortunately for the mouse, Valiant tossed the mouse to one of the snakes which promptly swallowed it whole.

'_He's using magic!_' she thought, outraged, '_The cheater!_'

'_We've got to tell Gaius,_' Merlin replied, '_And warn Arthur._'

At once, both Merlin and Marayna backed away from the door and began running down the hall, thankfully not making a sound to alert the knight to their presence.

~8~

They ran into Gaius's chambers, barely having enough breath to get their words out as they both began speaking at once, their words overlapping so badly they could hardly understand themselves as they spoke.

"Hold on, hold on!" he half-shouted, "Calm down, I can't understand you when you do that. Now...what happened?"

Merlin took a breath, "We just saw one of the snakes on Valiant's shield come alive!"

Marayna nodded, "He's using magic!"

"Are you sure?" Gaius asked seriously.

"The snake ate an entire mouse in just one swallow, gobbled it right down," Marayna replied, shivering slightly at the memory.

"Knight Ewan was fighting Valiant when he collapsed," Merlin added.

"It must've been one of the snakes on the shield," Marayna finished.

There was a moment's pause, "I have to tell Arthur," Merlin said as he turned to rush out of the room.

"Is there any chance you might be mistaken?" Gaius interrupted, halting the boy mid-step.

"I know magic when I see it!" he insisted.

"Perhaps, but have you any_ proof_?" Gaius shook his head.

"Don't you believe us?" Marayna spoke, a note of hurt in her voice.

"I fear you'll land yourselves in trouble," he admitted, "How will you explain why you were in Valiant's chambers?"

"Does that matter?" Marayna shook her head, why was he delaying them? If Valiant continued to fight then his next opponent would be at risk as well! And it was up to them to stop him, "He's using magic to cheat in the tournament!"

"You can't go accusing a knight of using magic without proof," Gaius explained, "The king would never accept the word of a servant over the word of a knight."

'_And he definitely wouldn't accept a woman's word,_' Merlin thought to her...she glared at him, '_Sorry._'

"So what _I_ say doesn't count for anything?" Merlin asked miserably.

"I'm afraid it counts very little as far as the king is concerned," Gaius sighed, "That's just the way it is."

~8~

The next day Merlin and Marayna couldn't help but stare at Arthur's next opponent before the tournament began. The brute was huge! Truly, he was as thick as a tree probably!

"And you're saying you have to fight _that?_" Marayna couldn't help but ask as she gaped at the sheer size of the man.

"Yes," Arthur smirked at her looking at his opponent, almost a bit...pleased...that she was seeing the size and near-impossibility of the man he had to beat, it would make it all the more impressive when he DID beat him, "He's strong as a bear, but he's slow."

"And you're fast," Merlin stated, realizing Arthur's logic.

"Exactly," Arthur nodded as he headed towards the arena just after his opponent.

Marayna looked around quickly, '_I don't see Valiant._'

'_Don't worry_,' Merlin replied, looking as well, '_We'll get proof._'

"How are you getting on?" Gaius asked, appearing out of nowhere and startling them, as he always seemed to do, even when they were younger and he'd visit occasionally he'd just...appear, like magic almost.

"Fine," Merlin said quickly, walking towards the corner of the arena where he usually watched from with Marayna following, both of them observing Arthur fighting, "I'm just doing my job. Minding my own business."

Never had either of them been so disappointed to see Arthur win a match...because now...now Arthur had to fight Valiant the next day.

"Arthur and Valiant are going to fight in the final," Marayna observed.

Merlin sighed, "He'll use the shield to kill him."

'_Unless we stop him,_' Marayna added silently.

'_So let's stop him._'

~8~

Merlin and Marayna were seated at Ewan's bedside, both trying to think of what they should do when Gaius entered, "Merlin, about what I said yesterday…Uther wouldn't really listen to you, or me, but you're right, we _can't_ let Valiant get away with this."

Marayna smiled at that, Gaius's support meant a lot to Merlin, but there was still one thing, "We don't have any proof though."

Gaius nodded, "Well if we could cure Ewan he could tell the king that Valiant was using magic. The king _would_ believe another knight. But how we get the antidote, well that's another matter."

Merlin and Marayna looked at each other.

'_Are you thinking what I am?_' she asked, a grin growing on her face.

'_Let's go!_' Merlin shouted before jumping up, taking her hand and rushing out of the room.

They crept though the castle, pausing in the dining hall to make sure Valiant was occupied before heading out to his chambers. They silently walked to the door and Merlin pushed against it but it was locked. He raised his hand, about to rest it against the door when Marayna grabbed it.

'_Can I Merlin, please?_' she asked, biting her bottom lip as she looked at him with wide eyes.

He laughed silently, she always thought that look won him over, but really it just looked ridiculous to see her beg him to do anything, lord knew she'd do it anyway with or without his permission, such was the curse of the younger sister, '_Be my guest,_' he gestured at the door, knowing she was dying to try a spell, to do some magic again, real actual magic that had an incantation to it.

She smiled before focusing on the door, "_Allinan._"

And the door creaked open.

She looked at him, nearly squealing with excitement as she smiled at him. He could only return the grin and give her a proud nod. He was so glad that he hadn't been the only one in his family blessed with magic. His sister having it meant he would always have someone to talk to about his magic and she was the only one who understood what sort of trouble it could get them into, she was really the only one who understood what it had been like to grow up in their village being as different as they were. And it went both ways, they never had any secrets from the other because the other was the only one who wouldn't judge and was there as support.

They entered the room, examining the shield for a few moments before they realized that they hadn't the slightest idea how to get the snakes to come alive short of finding a mouse and Marayna was _not_ about to go there.

Marayna wandered to a chair where Valiant's sword was resting, picking it up and weighing it, it was far heavier than it appeared. She glanced over to see Merlin looking at other weapons the knight had brought with him when she heard it, the hissing. She turned, seeing the snakes coming alive.

'_Merlin!_' she shouted, '_Catch!_' she tossed the sword to him, just in time for him to swing and decapitate one of the snakes.

Unfortunately it just made them all the more angry.

Quickly she reached down, picked up the snake head and ran with Merlin, barely escaping before the snakes snapped at them. They ran all the way back to Gaius's chambers, not even noticing Valiant exit the hall and head back to his room to find the door open and unlocked...

~8~

"I'll get started preparing the antidote," Gaius said as he drained some snake venom into a glass vial.

"I'm going to tell Arthur," Merlin replied, heading for the door.

"I'll come too," Marayna joined him.

"You'll need this," Gaius tossed them the head, "And Merlin," he turned, "What you did was very brave."

He smiled, looking down at his sister who was grinning proudly at him, before taking her hand and rushing to Arthur's chambers.

~8~

Arthur stared at the two in utter disbelief at what they were telling him, "You?" he looked at Merlin, "_You_ chopped its head off?"

Merlin nodded as Marayna spoke, "When Ewan was fighting Valiant, he made the snakes on the shield come alive and bite him so he could win the match."

"You can talk to Gaius," Merlin added, "You can see the puncture wounds on Ewan's neck where the snake bit him. Ewan was beating him, he had to cheat!"

"Valiant wouldn't _dare_ use magic in Camelot," Arthur stated with finality, standing from his desk. It was an utterly ridiculous notion, a knight using magic to win, not to mention in Camelot! _Camelot_ of all places.

"You were watching, you saw that Ewan was pinned under Valiant's shield," Marayna insisted, "From that angle no one would be able to see one of those snakes bite him."

"I don't like the guy," he conceded, "But that doesn't mean he's cheating."

Merlin sighed, it was times like these when he wished Arthur wasn't so dense, "Gaius is preparing an antidote to the snake venom. When Ewan's conscious, he'll tell you what happened," he paused, hoping that his words had gotten through, but it didn't appear so, "If you fight Valiant in the final he'll use the shield. It's the only way he can beat you."

Marayna picked up the snake with her bare hands, Arthur observing how she barely even flinched at it, "Take a look at it," she tossed it to him, "And you tell me...are there any snakes like that in Camelot?"

After a moment, Merlin spoke, "I know I'm just a servant, and my word doesn't count for anything, but I wouldn't lie to you."

"Neither would I," Marayna added, taking Merlin's hand, it was a pledge...well, they wouldn't lie about anything that wouldn't get them killed to reveal, like, oh say...having been born with magic...

Arthur looked between the two, "I want you to swear to me, what you're telling me is true."

"I swear it's true," Merlin promised as his sister nodded.

"Then...I believe you," he sighed.

Marayna looked around as Merlin and Arthur examined the snake's head, feeling the hairs rise on the back of her neck, '_Someone's here,_' she whispered to Merlin who looked around the room as well, trying to spot it, '_They're watching us._'

She didn't know how close to the truth she was a one of Valiant's snake slithered on the beam above them, observing them.

~8~

Marayna was rushing through the forest towards Camelot, Gaius had sent her to collect an herb for Sir Ewan who had finally woken up from his sleep. The antidote worked and now Ewan would tell Arthur and the king that she and Merlin were telling the truth! She would give the flower to Gaius, he would brew the potion to help speed up Ewan's recovery, and all would be well.

But she knew it wasn't to be as soon as she reached Gaius's chambers to see him kneeling next to the still form of the knight, "Uncle?"

He looked up, a sad look in his eyes, "He's dead," he informed, "We must tell Arthur before he calls the court."

She nodded and rushed with him towards the Great Hall. She completely forgot that, as a woman, and a low-born, not even a servant or a citizen of Camelot, she wasn't to be there. However there were much more pressing matters to attend to.

They entered just as the King began examining Valiant's shield, "Merlin," Gaius hissed, getting the attention of not just Merlin, but Arthur as well. She could see Arthur whisper something to Merlin before he walked over to them.

"Where's Sir Ewan?" Merlin whispered.

"Merlin, something's happened," Gaius tried to say delicately.

"What? Is he better? Is he coming?" he looked at them so expectantly, so optimistically that Marayna had to frown. That was one of the main differences between her brother and her, he was ever the optimist, and while she too tried to look on the bright side of things, she could always, and usually did, expect the worst.

"Merlin," she began softly, something in her tone must have given her away as Merlin's face fell in dread, "He's dead."

"What?!" Merlin's eyes widened, "But I just saw him moments ago and he was still alive! Did the antidote not work?"

"It worked," Gaius assured, "But he was bitten again and he was already too weak to fight the venom off again."

"What do we do now?" he asked.

Before either of them could answer a new voice spoke, "Where's Ewan?" Arthur pressed.

Merlin looked at him, back to Gaius, and back, "He's dead," he said finally.

"I'm waiting," Uther spoke.

Arthur looked up, around the room before his gaze landed on Uther, "I'm afraid the witness is dead."

"So you have no proof to support these allegations?" Uther demanded, "Have you seen Valiant using magic?"

"No," Arthur spoke quickly, "But my servant and his…"

"Your _servant_?" Uther fumed, "You made these outrageous accusations against a _knight_ on the word of your servant?"

"Father, I believe they are telling the truth."

"They? Who is _they_?"

Arthur looked back at Merlin, a hint of fear in his eyes. There was no way he could protect her if Marayna was brought into it. She wasn't his servant nor a noble's or the castle's. She wasn't even a native of Camelot.

"Merlin and…"

"And who?!" Uther demanded, his patience wearing thin.

"Me, my Lord," Marayna spoke quietly.

"Who are _you_?" he glared at her, he could obviously tell she didn't belong.

"My sister, sire," Merlin answered, taking a step closer to her as though to protect her.

"The sister of a servant!" Uther flipped, spinning to his son, "Arthur!"

"And...um...my assistant," Gaius stepped up, hoping it would be enough to protect her, "She's been helping me care for Ewan."

"My Lord, am I really to be judged on some hear-say of a boy, a servant, and a woman?" Valiant demanded.

"Sire, I've seen those snakes come alive!" Merlin strode forward, escaping just before Marayna could reach out for him to hold him back.

"How dare you interrupt?" Uther spat, "Guards!"

"My Lord," Valiant spoke.

Arthur turned to Gaius, "Get her out of here," he hissed, before turning back to face his father. Gaius quickly rushed Marayna out of the room, hoping her lack of presence would be enough for the King to forget her part in everything.

"That was far too close," Gaius muttered as they reached the hall.

"I'm going to meet Arthur and Merlin in Arthur's chambers," she replied, "I need to know how things went."

Gaius sighed as she rushed off down the hall, he didn't like this, but there was no way he could keep her away. And he needed to work on making more of the antidote in the likely event that Arthur would have to face Valiant.

~8~

Arthur was _fuming_ when he stalked into his room moments later, slamming the door behind him, Merlin and Marayna already there, though Merlin had only just gotten there a moment or two before him.

'_Uther didn't believe you, did he?' _she asked Merlin.

'_Not a word of it,' _Merlin sighed,_ 'Arthur looked like a fool in front of everyone.' _

Marayna flinched. This would not be good. And her thoughts proved true as Arthur rounded on them, "I believed you!" he shouted, absolute rage in his voice, "I trusted you and you made me look a complete fool!"

"Well, I know it didn't go exactly to plan…" Merlin started.

"'Didn't go to plan?'" Arthur spat incredulously, "My father and the entire Royal Court think I'm a _coward_! You _humiliated_ me!"

"We can still show them the truth about Valiant," Marayna added calmly, hoping it would calm the prince down.

"I no longer require your services," he said to Merlin, completely ignoring Marayna.

"You're sacking him?" she asked in disbelief.

"You're sacking me?" Merlin repeated, though with a hint of hurt to his voice.

"I need a servant I can trust," Arthur said viciously.

"You _can_ trust me," Merlin stressed, grabbing Marayna's hand as he felt her anger rise at how Arthur was treating him and what the man was doing. He and Marayna...it had always been them, the two of them against the world since before they could remember. She had always had a bit of a temper to her, mostly it came out when she felt an injustice was being done, and this...anything that upset him, upset her too...no, not just upset her, infuriated her.

He had learned from experience, an angry Aya was a _scary_ Aya.

"And look where it got me this time, get out of my sight!" Arthur snapped, turning his back on them.

Merlin bowed his head and headed toward the door, tugging slightly at his sister's hand to get her to move. She held her ground though, letting her hand slip from his, '_Go on,_' she whispered, '_I'll be right there._'

'_Aya...don't_,' he begged.

'_I won't do anything bad_,' she promised.

He sighed, but nodded and left the room, when she was angry (which he knew she was) there was really no arguing against her or talking her out of something. It really was best to let her anger run its course if he couldn't get her out of there in time. And to be honest...he really didn't want to be there to witness it, that way he couldn't get blamed for what she might do...and he wouldn't accidently get in the way of her anger either.

Marayna spun to face Arthur, positively _furious_ at what he had just done, "How _dare_ you!?"

Arthur turned quickly, obviously he hadn't been expecting her to still be there after he'd ordered them away, "What are you doing here? I excused you."

"You forget _my Lord,_" she said the word with such venom that Arthur nearly flinched at it, "But I am _not_ your servant, nor am I your subject so forgive me if I don't dote on your beck and call."

"What do you want?" he asked, his anger was slowly leaving him, to be replaced with a mixture of dread, fear, and shame at how he had treated Merlin, especially with the man's enraged sister standing before him because...he could see the vaguest hints of tears in her eyes for how he'd dealt with her brother.

"How could you do that to Merlin!?" she shouted, throwing her arms up in the air, "He's done nothing but try to serve you and you…you just cast him out like he didn't mean anything! Like he was nothing! He _saved your life_ and _this_ is how you treat him?!"

"I wouldn't expect you to understand what he has done, what you both have done. You betrayed my trust in you. You lied to me. You let me make a fool of myself in front of everyone!" he faced her, nearly daring her to make another move against him.

Of all the things he was expecting her to do, yell, throw something at him, storm out...receiving a rather strong right hook to the jaw was _not_ one of them.

"We have done no such thing," she fumed before letting out a frustrated growl, "God! You're such a…a…a clotpole!"

And then, she stormed out of the room, shaking out her hand and leaving a fairly stunned prince with a rather red and bruising cheek in her wake.

~8~

Merlin quickly journeyed to the belly of the castle, his torch clutched firmly in his hand.

"Where are you?" he called as he entered the Dragon's prison, the ancient Dragon that had called out to him his first few nights in Camelot, "I just came to tell you whatever you think my destiny is, whatever it is you think I'm supposed to do, you've got the wrong person," he waited a moment for the Dragon to appear, "That's it, goodbye," he was just about to leave when the noise of the Dragon approaching startled him.

"If only it were so easy to escape one's destiny," the Dragon flew up and perched on a rock in the middle of the cavern.

"How can it be my destiny to protect someone who hates me?" Merlin demanded.

The Dragon smirked, "A half can never truly hate that which makes it whole. Very soon, you shall learn that."

"Great, just what I needed, another riddle," Merlin rolled his eyes, just about at the end of his rope with all this.

"That yours and Arthur's path lies together is but the truth," the Dragon replied calmly.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"You know, young warlock, this is not the end," he smiled, looking past Merlin, over his shoulder, "It is the beginning."

"Just give us a straight answer!" Merlin shouted.

"Merlin?" a voice called, quickly coming closer down the steps, "Who are you taking to?"

"Ah, the young witch has finally arrived," the Dragon laughed, his grin widening as Marayna entered the cavern and caught sight of the Dragon.

"Merlin?" she asked, her voice quivering slightly as she stared, wide eyed, up at the rather large beast. Merlin immediately took her hand and held it tight, knowing the sight could be rather...intimidating, "What…"

Merlin sighed, "Meet the last of the Dragons. This is…"

"Marayna of Ealdor, sister of Merlin," his smile became almost gleeful, "Witch, and...future Queen of Camelot."

Marayna nearly lost her footing at that, "What?!" she blanched.

"What are you talking about?" Merlin demanded. He knew his destiny lied with Arthur, it was a fate worse than death as far as he was concerned, he didn't want his sister to be trapped on the same path.

The Dragon merely eyed them, "Arthur is the Once and Future King, who will…"

"Unite the lands of Albion," Merlin finished, "I know. And Arthur and I are 'two sides of the same coin.' Fine. But what does that have to do with Aya?"

The Dragon laughed, "You _are_ two sides of the same coin, but Aya, as you call her, is the intricate carving that appears on both sides. She will impact both your destinies. Arthur will never succeed without the support of his Archmage and he cannot rule well without the love of his Queen."

"What?!" Marayna repeated, shaking her head.

"All hail the Witch Queen!" the Dragon shouted before flying off, leaving the siblings utterly confused and frustrated as anything.

~8~

Merlin and Marayna sat on the front steps of the castle, Marayna wrapped in Merlin's arms, slightly trembling from the cryptic words of the Dragon. How in the world was _she_ supposed to become Queen of Camelot…and married to _Arthur_?! That was truly the worst sort of fate she could imagine befalling a woman.

"Is it true what you said about Valiant using magic?" they looked up to see Gwen strolling over to sit by them and could only nod, "What're you going to do?"

"Why does everyone seem to think it's down to us to do something about it?" Merlin questioned exasperatedly.

"Because it is, isn't it?" she countered, "You have to show everyone that you were right and they were wrong."

Marayna sighed, "How?"

"I don't know," she admitted.

They were silent for a moment when a statue of a dog caught Marayna's attention and she grinned, working out just the way to do it, '_Merlin!' _she shouted.

'_Ow!' _he replied, flinching, she was a bit loud,_ 'What was that for?'_

'_Look at that!' _she directed his gaze to the dog statue,_ 'If Valiant can do it…'_

'_Then so can we!' _he grinned,_ 'Brilliant!'_

"That's it!" Merlin cheered, jumping off the step with Marayna in tow.

"Where are you going?" Gwen asked, quite confused by their behavior, not that she had really known them long enough to know what their usual behavior was like, but still...it was quite odd.

"Do you have a wheelbarrow?" was all Marayna replied with, grinning what seemed to be the family grin.

~8~

Somehow they managed to get the dog statue into the wheelbarrow and get it to their room with no questions, which was a miracle in itself.

"What are you doing with that?" Gaius eyed them oddly as he came to investigate what the squeaking could be.

"We've got to let everyone see the snakes for themselves," Merlin answered as Marayna shut the door to what had become their room, "Who should do it?" he looked at his sister as they set the statue on the floor.

Marayna bit her lip, "I think you should, your magic is much stronger than mine."

It was partly true, or it might be. They weren't really sure how their magic worked. Merlin's always appeared stronger, but she had always seemed to have more control over hers, doing less...reactive magic. Merlin's was more raw where as hers was more focused, so they could never really be sure whose was stronger, or if they were both equal. They never saw much of her magic due to her control, but the magic they saw off Merlin was more like bursts and they didn't know how to really test each other like that.

He nodded, looking down at the book he'd pulled from beneath his pillow and began the spell, "_Berbay odothay arisan quickem._"

Nothing happened…

They looked at each other, just knowing this was going to be a_ long_ night…

~8~

Arthur was standing by the fire with his back towards the door of his room, when Marayna went to see him that night while Merlin continued to work on the spell.

"I thought I told you to get out of my sight," he muttered, still not looking up, fully expecting it to be Merlin that had come to see him. So he was in for a bit of a shock when it wasn't Merlin's voice that spoke but his sister's.

"And I thought I told you, I wasn't your servant?"

He looked up, slightly stunned by the sight of her, with the moonlight streaming into the room, her skin was illuminated and seemed to glow, her hair was out of its ties and hanging loosely around her face. He nearly gasped at the sight of her, she looked just as she did all day, but for some reason, he couldn't take his eyes off her. He shook his head before smirking arrogantly at her, "Come to apologize?"

She mirrored his smirk, "Not a chance," he looked away, revealing a small dark spot on the corner of his jaw, she hadn't thought she'd hit him that hard! It was already starting to bruise. She sighed, "I've come to ask you...not to face Valiant in the final tomorrow, because he'll use the shield against you."

"I know," was the quiet reply

She looked up sharply, "Then quit or withdraw or whatever it is you do in a tournament!"

"Don't you understand?" he turned to face her again, "I _can't _withdraw. The people expect their prince to fight. How can I lead men into battle if they think I'm a coward?"

"How can you lead men into battle if your dead?" she was blunt if anything, "And you WILL be dead because Valiant will kill you. You fight, you die."

"Then I die," Arthur stated with a shrug.

Marayna let out a frustrated noise, running a hand through her hair as she shook her head, "How do you do that? Stand there and agree to go out there and fight, knowing that?"

"Because I have to," he said simply, "It's my duty."

"There's more to life than duty," she countered before she turned to leave. She knew she could say nothing more to persuade him. She didn't know the prince from another arrogant prat on the streets, _Merlin_ should have come to talk to him, but he wanted to focus on the spell, and had sent her instead.

A lot of help that did.

~8~

The next morning Arthur stood at the window as another manservant dressed him in armor. He had to admit, this one was much more competent than Merlin, but there was something about Merlin's bumbling that made him feel like he wasn't just...doing a duty to a prince but more...helping a friend. It had been nice, for a moment, having a friend, someone who didn't see him as just the next king but...a person, given Merlin's comments, he was sure neither he nor the man's sister saw him as just a king.

He supposed he should be obsessing over the upcoming fight and picking out the clothes and armor he wished to be buried in, but for some reason, he just kept thinking of Marayna's words, there's more to life than duty? What was that supposed to mean? He had been born and raise a prince, duty was all he knew. Duty to his people, to his kingdom, and to his knights. That was it. No other duty existed. And if duty meant dying for his people, then he would gladly do so.

He rubbed his jaw, wincing as he felt the bruise that was there. What did that girl think she was doing? How dare she hit him? Him! The prince of Camelot! She had no respect whatsoever and he should have had her thrown in the dungeon for that, put in the stocks. Something! But the more he thought about it...the more he realized he _did_ deserve the punch, not that he would EVER admit that out loud. But...it _had_ literally knocked some sense into him. He had treated Merlin unfairly and she had made him aware of that. No one else would _dare_ lay a hand on him if he was mistaken, but she..._had_…she was…different.

"Let me," a woman's voice cut into his thoughts. He looked over to see Morgana checking the straps on his armor, sending the manservant off, "I used to help my father with his armor," she commented before picking up his helmet and handing it to him.

"Thanks," he muttered, walking towards the door, pausing momentarily to stare at the spot Marayna had stood just that night, her words echoing back to him.

"Arthur," Morgana called and he looked back at her, "Be careful."

"See you at the feast," he tried to smile, but it just...didn't seem to come.

She nodded anyway and watched him leave the room. She sighed and glanced out the window, at the arena, hoping Arthur would survive. He _had_ to survive this match, even though she knew it was foolish to hope but...she hoped that one day her dream would come true in some way. So few of them were ever good, she clung to the ones that offered her hope and she vowed she would do everything in her power to make this one as close to a reality as she could make it.

~8~

Merlin and Marayna were knelt before each other in their room, sitting back on their legs, their hands grasped firmly together. When she had returned to the room last night, Merlin had suggested they_ both_ try the spell together. So far it hadn't worked for him by himself so maybe he needed just a little extra help. He always thought they were stronger together, but Marayna thought her powers, being slightly less than his, would hold his back. Either way, he had finally managed to convince her and they mumbled the spell over and over until finally a barking sound resounded throughout the room. They jumped apart, now wide awake, to see a dog seated right before them where the statue had been.

"We did it!" Merlin cheered.

"Yes!" Marayna jumped, hugging him, before she noticed the light outside, "It's already dawn!"

They ran out of the room and straight into Gaius as he worked away to make more of the antidote, "Arthur is fighting Valiant!" he warned them.

"We know, we're on our way," Merlin replied, taking off.

"Oh, Uncle, promise not to go in there, we'll find it a proper home when we get back!" Marayna added, rushing after her brother, following him through the halls and out to the courtyards till they reached the arena, creeping to their corner to watch the match.

Marayna flinched as Arthur fell to the ground, but let out a breath of relief as he quickly got back up and continued his fight against Valiant, though this time...without his sword.

Merlin reached out and grabbed her hand, raising his own as they focused on the spell, "_Berbay odothay arisan quicken!_"

They were not disappointed as Valiant's snakes appeared out of the shield and began attacking Arthur as he jumped back, exposing them for all to see.

"What're you doing?" the knight hissed at his shield, shaking it, startled, "I didn't summon you!"

"He _is_ using magic!" Uther cried, his eyes narrowing at the so-called knight.

"Now, they see you for what you really are!" Arthur shouted smugly, making sure _everyone_ in the arena could hear him.

For all he was worth, Valiant didn't look troubled at all as he yelled back, "Kill him!"

The two remaining snakes immediately slithered out of his shield and over to Arthur who was circling the arena till he was just in front of Merlin and Marayna.

Thinking quickly, Marayna grabbed a sword from a rack next to her "Arthur!" she called, tossing him the sword. And just like with Merlin, he grabbed it just in time to behead both snakes and kill Valiant to the cheers of the people. They had done it! Arthur was safe and the people saw the truth about Valiant, and Arthur saw that they hadn't been lying.

~8~

Arthur walked out of the arena, followed slowly by Merlin and Marayna. The two non-servants stood off to the side as they watched Uther and Morgana embrace Arthur in congratulations and smiled when Gwen ran up to them, hugging them both, knowing that, somehow, _they_ had had a hand in Valiant's demise. Morgana, never too far from her maid, looked up to see Merlin and a girl standing by her servant and made her way over.

She stopped in her tracks a few feet away as Gwen pulled away from her hug with the girl and Morgana was able to see her up close, "It _is_ you!" she nearly shouted, only loud enough to gain Merlin, Gwen, and Marayna's attention.

"My Lady?" Gwen asked, slightly confused by Morgana's reaction.

"You're Merlin's sister, aren't you?" Morgana asked as Marayna nodded slightly, "I have been waiting quite a while to meet you."

"Me? My Lady?" she blinked, shocked at that revelation.

"Yes, of course," she walked up to Marayna and took her arm in hers, "Why don't you come with me and Gwen to prepare for the feast?"

Marayna looked over at Merlin, who shrugged, '_Maybe she needs extra help preparing?_' he thought, his sister just shrugged and followed the two girls away, it couldn't be any worse than helping Arthur prepare for things, and Morgana seemed FAR more pleasant to be around than Arthur.

~8~

The feast that night was amazing, especially as Uther was in very high spirits, not only that his son was the champion again, but also that he had defeated sorcery once more, "My honorable guests," he called, getting attention from the crowd, "I give you...Prince Arthur, your champion."

The crowd that had gathered in the dining hall erupted into cheers as Arthur made his entrance, taking Morgana's arm at the end of an aisle that led to the main table, "My Lady."

"My champion," she replied as they walked towards Uther, "Has your father apologized yet, for not believing you?" she asked quietly.

"He'll never apologize," Arthur muttered, before steering the conversation away from his father, "I hope you're not disappointed it's not Valiant escorting you."

She shrugged, "Turns out he wasn't really champion material."

"That was some tournament final," Arthur remarked as they reached the end of the aisle and turned to face each other.

"Tell me about it," she smirked, "It's not every day I get to see a _girl_ save a _prince_."

"Well, I wouldn't say I needed exactly saving," Arthur muttered, though Morgana could swear his ears were turning a bit pink, "I'm sure I would've thought of _something_."

"See, you're too proud to admit you were saved by a girl," Morgana jabbed.

"Because I wasn't," he insisted.

"You know what?" she put her hands on her hips, "I wish Valiant _was _escorting me."

"Me too," said Arthur, "Then I wouldn't have to..." his words were cut off as two very lovely girls entered the room…

~8~

"See," Merlin muttered to Gaius from the side as he watched Arthur escort Morgana up the aisle, "I told you he gets all the girls and the glory."

"And he owes it all to you," Gaius replied before looking around, "Now where is that sister of yours?"

Merlin looked around again, "I've no idea, maybe…"

But before he could complete the sentence, two girls entered the room, arm-in-arm. He recognized one instantly as Gwen, though she looked quite different. She was wearing a beautiful lavender dress and her hair was pulled back in an intricate braid, with flowers strung throughout it. The other girl he had never seen before though, or at least he didn't think he had.

"Who…" he started to ask...only to realize exactly who it was that had entered beside Gwen, "Is she wearing a _dress_!?"

There was his sister, his Aya, walking as gracefully down the aisle with Gwen as she could given their family's natural clumsiness. She was dressed in a beautiful light blue dress that brought out the beauty of her eyes. It was a simple dress really, long-sleeved, nearly off the shoulder, a small rope belt wrapped around her waist and hanging a bit in front of her. Her hair was only held back by two small twists on the sides of her head that connected in the back.

She looked beautiful.

And, Merlin was very displeased to note, many other young men seemed to notice that fact as well, though he doubted they thought so in the sibling-like sense that he did...and so he took to scowling at them all.

~8~

Gwen led Marayna down the aisle and right up to Morgana and Arthur who, Marayna noticed, was again doing his impression of a fish, "My Lady," Gwen curtsied slightly, Marayna trying to do the same but stumbling a bit.

Morgana nodded, "Oh Arthur, have you met Marayna?" she asked, knowing full well he had.

"Uh…I…yes," he managed to choke out, still not quite sure how he managed to do even that. The sight of Marayna took his breath away, especially seeing her in a dress after having seen her in nothing but her travelling clothes the entire time. It was...quite the shocking change, really, though he made a note that she looked particularly lovely in that shade of blue.

Morgana smirked, "Oh Rayna!" she turned to the girl, using what seemed to be the most nickname for her, "Arthur had something he wanted to ask you."

Marayna turned expectantly to Arthur, "Yes?"

Arthur just blinked, "Uh…dance?"

She tried ever so hard to keep her smile from turning into a smirk at how foolish he sounded. Honestly, it was just a dress! There was nothing spectacular about it or the person wearing it. But she wasn't sure if she fully succeeded in keeping her smile un-smirked. She nodded slightly and reached out to take Arthur's arm, letting him lead her out onto the small area that had been set aside for dancing.

"I should warn you," she began, "Dancing is NOT my forte."

"Surprising," he remarked, "It's not mine either," he added, so she would know he wasn't insulting her, before he led her into a small dance.

Marayna tried her best not to look down at her feet, not that she'd be able to see them in her gown, but still...she'd never quite mastered or enjoyed dancing while she'd been with her Aunt Elaine, so she was more than comfortable with the silence that followed as it meant Arthur wasn't commenting on her looking down either. However...it DID get a bit too much for her, but only because there was something she NEEDED to bring up to him and she doubted she'd get another chance what with him being the 'champion' and all, "You know, you really hurt Merlin by not believing in him."

Arthur looked away, "I know," he murmured, "And, though I shall deny it to the grave, I feel…bad…about what I did. It is disgraceful for a king to lose his temper like that."

Marayna was quite for a moment, "I know a way for you to make it up to him."

"And how would that be?" he asked, actually paying attention to this bit of information.

She smirked, "Buy him a drink."

"I can't really be seen buying drinks for my servants," Arthur replied.

"Your servant_s_?" she raised an eyebrow at the plural, "As I recall, you only sacked Merlin and I don't work for you."

"Well I'm considering rehiring Merlin," Arthur smirked, "And I suppose, if you are going to be around your brother, I might as well hire you too."

She tilted her head away and nodded a bit, "Be sure you know what you are getting yourself into," she warned before walking away as the song ended, leaving a very confused Arthur. She seemed to do that a lot in the short time he'd known her, leave him guessing and confused and a bit put off and yet somehow...smiling.

He shook his head and made his way over to Merlin as the boy remained standing to the side, Gaius having walked off a short while before, "Can you believe Morgana?" he began to his former servant, "She says Marayna saved me. Like I needed any help," Merlin was silent, "Look, I wanted to say…I made a mistake. It was unfair to sack you."

Merlin smiled, "Don't worry about it. Buy me a drink, we'll call it even."

He laughed, Marayna certainly knew her brother, "Alright, I'll buy you _one_ drink, don't need you getting too used to the gin. After all, I'm going to need you and your sister tomorrow…"

"Marayna?" Merlin looked at him, startled, "What's she have to do with this?"

"Well, since you're so incompetent, I figured you should have a bit of help in your chores, so I hired your sister," he laughed as Merlin nearly choked on air, "And it's a good thing too. My chambers are a complete mess, my clothes need washing, my armor needs repairing, my boots need cleaning, my dogs need exercising, my fireplace needs sweeping, my bed needs changing, and someone needs to muck out my stables…"

A/N: I hope you like Marayna so far. I can say there are going to be some fears and obstacles in the way of her being with Arthur beyond just Uther and her own magic }:) I didn't want to give away too much of her in this chapter, we'll slowly learn more about her as the story goes on :) So as for the cover, even though it's Arthur/OC, since they're not technically together yet, Marayna IS Merlin's sister, so I put them together just for this one ;)

I'll be doing a series of 'episode covers' on my tumblr, basically trying to work an image of Marayna into a scene from the episodes starting tomorrow with Valiant's and adding one only on the days that an actual episode is posted. I've done some covers for original chapters before in other stories and I'm not certain I'd be able to do that for Merlin, so we'll be getting one nearly every other day ;) There's a link to my tumblr on my profile ;)

Most of the spells from the episode, spelling wise, were from the Merlin Wikia page to get the proper spelling or as close as possible ;)

I'll also be doing a 'notes on reviews' section after this chapter if there are ever questions or reviews that I feel I should comment on at the very end of a chapter ;)


	2. Underestimation

A/N: Apologies for the late update, I kept getting an error message when I went to post this chapter :( -shakes fist- fanfiction! Lol :) I had to use a sneaky 'content' and not 'properties' thing and urls...blah :(

~8~

Underestimation

Morning would find Marayna seated at the small table in Gaius's chambers as her uncle placed a bowl of what appeared to be white mush down before her. She took out a spoon, scooped up a bit...and watched as it fell in clumps back to the bowl. A semi-disgusted frown made its way onto her face which quickly became a neutral expression as her uncle turned to face her once more with two more bowls of mush. He set one down across from her and another at the end of the table before sitting down by the last one. A moment later Merlin emerged from the room he had come to share with his sister, stretching with one arm while rubbing his head with the other.

"Let me guess," Marayna began, pushing Merlin's food towards him as he plopped down before her, "Arthur bought you more than just one drink?"

"Errrg," he moaned, "No more talks of drinking."

Marayna laughed, "_Sweotol heafod_," she whispered, resting a hand on her brother's head.

Instantly he felt better, the fog and thundering in his mind dissipated, leaving him feeling as though he had been wide awake for a few hours rather than a few minutes with a terrible hangover, "Thank you," he smiled at his sister, realizing she must have learned that last night, he'd come back to the room to see her sitting on her cot with the magic book open, just looking at all the spells they still had yet to learn.

"Ow!" Marayna squeaked before she could reply as Gaius promptly hit her over the head for her blatant display of magic, "Uncle!"

"What did I just tell you both the other day!?" Gaius lifted his eyebrow at them.

"Aya got in trouble," Merlin chirped sing-songy...only to be cut off by a small fleck of bread being chucked at his head by his sister.

He picked up a bit of bread to retaliate when Gaius broke his concentration, "Enough, both of you! Honestly, _must_ you act like children?"

"Sorry uncle," Marayna muttered, bowing her head.

Merlin echoed her, but as soon as Gaius turned to look down at his meal, he flicked the bread back at his sister who, expecting his actions after years and years with her brother, opened her mouth and caught the bread, swallowing it whole with a smirking-grin and a wink as he rolled his eyes at her.

Gaius looked up to see his niece and nephew sharing a secret grin and immediately thought the worst, "Something I should know about?" he asked, his eyebrow quirking even more, if that were possible. Both Marayna and Merlin looked at each other briefly before laughing and muttering a quick 'no uncle' as they went about eating their breakfast...or trying to, though they were quite certain it was alive and trying to escape their spoons given how it kept falling back into the bowl in clumps

'_So,_' Marayna heard in her mind, looking up to see her brother shooting her a teasing look, '_Enjoy your dance with Arthur?_'

Marayna smirked, shooting back with, '_I'm not sure. Enjoy your dance with Morgana?_'

Merlin chuckled silently as he recalled the events of the night before. Morgana had come up to him just after leaving Marayna and Arthur to their dancing. He hadn't even noticed she was standing beside him, being too busy glaring at Arthur, until she spoke. To his utter shock, she had asked _him_ for a dance in her true forward manner.

If the shock of the actual question wasn't enough, he hadn't been able to answer at all as he took in her appearance. She was wearing a dark dress that brought out the natural paleness of her skin. Her eyes sparkled in the firelight and the smile she gave him, that coy smile that told him she already knew what his answer would be but thought it cute to watch him suffer was prevalent on her face. It was the smile that did him in and made him tongue tied, he swore it. Morgana had to be some sort of magic, she had rendered him completely speechless and dumb. He couldn't speak or even think of a reply as she stood there, waiting.

After a moment or two of his blatant gaping at her, she let out a bell-like laugh and took his arm, leading him onto the floor herself. Thankfully, by the time they reached the dancing area he had regained partial use of his limbs and managed to shut his mouth. He didn't dare speak during the dance, he was far too concerned with making sure he didn't step on her feet. It wasn't even that he was worried of embarrassing himself before a room full of nobles, no he had done that plenty of times already, it was more that...well, the thought of causing her discomfort, of causing her any sort of pain even the most miniscule amount, gave him a sort of tightening in his chest.

As a result he stumbled quite a bit during their dance but was proud to say he hadn't stood on her foot once. He even managed to glance up from his feet a few times to see her smiling lightly at him and even dared a look at the others dancing alongside them. He just briefly caught a glimpse of Marayna, who he knew had been looking at her own feet just as much as he had been, to see her in what looked like a serious conversation with Arthur. He was a bit envious of her grace in dancing, no matter how little the difference was between him and her, she didn't have to look down NEARLY as much as he had, but then remembered that she _had_ had lessons while visiting their Aunt Elaine, not much and not in detail but enough to learn the basics, enough to get by if she really, really tried, not that she ever did. Perhaps he should have asked her for a few instructions before attending this feast, but then, how was he to know, or even guess, that someone as beautiful and graceful as Morgana would want to dance with a clumsy oaf such as himself? What noblewoman would ever want to dance with a servant? Though he had seen Arthur dance with Gwen once so he supposed it wasn't quite as uncommon as he thought.

He was truly surprised that Uther hadn't ordered him and Marayna arrested or something for dancing with Arthur and Morgana, but he supposed the celebration of it all and the all-around cheer was enough to keep Uther from issuing death sentences. Well, that and Morgana and Arthur seemed to have both picked the opportune moment to ask for a dance, Uther was caught in some discussion or another with a pair of the other knights who had participated in the tournament, they doubted the king had even seen Morgana step onto the dance area, let alone who with. He also doubted that anyone would dare comment about the king's son and ward's choice of dance partner within hearing range of said duo either. Morgana and Arthur could be...quite the fearsome pair.

When the song had ended, Morgana thanked him for the dance and was immediately swept away by another nobleman of the court. He was nearly certain that the man who had swept her away was a prat, he had to be, everything about him just screamed prat...much like it did Arthur. He walked back to where he had stood with Gaius, taking a bit of pleasure in the fact that Morgana didn't seem to be smiling at the man nearly as much as she had with him during their dance.

"I suppose Arthur didn't get _all_ the girls?" Gaius had asked slyly, watching Merlin as he watched Morgana.

Merlin glanced over at his uncle, "He still gets all the glory doesn't he?"

Gaius had just laughed, patted him on the back, and made his way over to the king, leaving Merlin to his own devices. Merlin smirked a bit as he saw Morgana decline the next dance and move back to the main table to converse with Gwen and Marayna. He lost sight of her though when Arthur came over to talk to him, to hire him back.

'_I suppose I did,_' he replied.

Marayna smiled at the faraway look in her brother's eyes as he recalled the previous night. She had been delighted to see that Morgana had taken an interest in her brother. There was just...something about the noblewoman that she couldn't identify, she was different than what she expected of a 'Lady of the Court' and she just knew Morgana would be good for her brother. Morgana seemed very passionate and outspoken and brave, which she knew Merlin, bless his gentle heart, could most certainly use a bit more of. He was more for cracking comments than truly getting riled up about things, but she was certain he just needed to really...be around someone as unafraid as Morgana seemed to be.

She herself was quite outspoken, but more in a brash, sometimes even vulgar way. Having been raised in a village, outside the courts, she just...didn't care for nobles. She didn't care what she said or how it came across, to her...they were people, same as her. Who cared if they'd been born to privilege? Until they did something to earn her respect she treated them as if they were another person. Cendred, the king of the lands that Ealdor resided in, was a king as well...and a terrible one. Why respect someone who didn't respect others? She had always believed that it was the mark of a man how he treated his inferiors instead of his equals. She held no love for arrogance, though she herself was just a bit arrogant, she could admit. But there was a difference between being proud of yourself for something you worked hard at, than being proud of something you had no control over, like being born a prince or a noble. She had met nobles who hated their station for the hypocrisy of it, how they were meant to be these great people, defenders of the realm...yet they hardly cared about the peasants. She had also met commoners with more noble qualities in their pinky than most royals had in their entire bodies.

It was the person inside that she considered, not title and not station. So she said what she thought and what she felt, when she thought or felt it. If the noble in question had an issue with her vocalizing that, well...she was but a lowly peasant, wasn't she? Hardly worth listening to. That seemed to be the curse though, a noble would absorb every bit of praise they could from anyone, but deal them a criticism and they'd put you in the stocks. She'd just come to...not care, really. Yes, she'd try to watch what she said around those that could do her true harm, like Uther, but others...well, why hold her tongue when she saw something wrong?

It was, perhaps, why she had enjoyed Morgana's company last night. When she'd realized Morgana had wanted to put her in a dress...she'd tried to escape. Naturally. But Morgana had seemed ready and had had Gwen lock the doors to her chambers. They'd gotten into a bit of a tiff, back and forth with Morgana trying to convince her to wear one of her old dresses and her refusing. Morgana had actually threatened to send her down to the hall wearing nothing if she selected nothing to wear. She'd fully agreed to do just that, much to Morgana's amusement, catching the woman's bluff. And then Morgana had, quite evilly, countered that then she would have to select the most horrid, frilly, uncomfortable dress to her name and have Gwen hold her down till they got her into it. They'd stared each other down for a full minute with narrowed eyes...till they'd laughed and she'd picked the gown she'd worn.

Morgana amused her in how...open she was with her words. She amused her all night when the woman had snuck looks at Merlin, with Merlin doing much the same while he had a drink with Arthur. Thankfully, after Arthur had asked her to dance, no one else had (it didn't seem very common for nobles to ask servants (not that she was one just yet) to dance, for which she was grateful). She still hadn't gotten quite the hang of dancing and had very nearly stepped on Arthur's foot at least three or four times in the course of their dance. Instead, she was able to stand with Gwen and discuss the feast and duels with Morgana.

It had been…nice…to be able to speak with other girls about the tournament. Often times, when she would bring up even the idea of fighting around other girls, they would turn their noses in the air and say it was 'a beastly sport that women should show no interest in' and then go off on tangents about how handsome the fighters were though. Here however, both Gwen and Morgana seemed interested in the fighting itself, the actual technique and weaponry. It was understandable for Gwen, her father had made many of the weapons the knights had used, but from Morgana, it was a bit of a surprise. She was even more shocked to learn that Morgana herself had a weapon hidden away in her room, a beautiful bow that Gwen's father had made her as a birthday gift when she had turned 16.

She made a note to ask Morgana a bit more about archery, perhaps ask for a few lessons. She could already feel a bond forming between the three of them. She only hoped they would still look at her the same way should they discover her secret, discover her magic, not that she ever thought they would. She and Merlin had kept it a secret for nearly 20 years and only 1 person had ever found out besides their mother. They had a fairly good track record.

The sound of Merlin standing and moving to wash his dish off drew her out of her thoughts. She realized she too had finished her meal, thankfully without tasting it, and rose to wash her dish as well. As soon as that was done she and Merlin made their way out of the room and headed towards Arthur's chambers. The castle was fairly silent, only the servants being awake as the royals were to be woken by the servants most of the time.

"Thank you," Merlin said out of nowhere, disturbing the silence that had befallen them.

"What for?"

He sighed, "I know what you did to Arthur," he replied, "I could see the bruise during the feast."

He smiled as his sister had the decency to blush a bit at that, "I haven't the faintest idea what you are talking about."

His smile widened, "I thought you promised you wouldn't do anything bad?"

"You can't say punching the prat was _bad_," she defended, "You_ know_ you wanted to do it too!"

He laughed, "So you admit it!"

"I…" she started, before realizing she had been caught, "Fine, yes, I admit it. I punched him. And, if it's any consolation, my knuckles hurt for _hours_ after."

Merlin was full-out laughing by the time they reached the prince's chambers though a glare from his sister sobered him quite quickly. He knew not to try his luck with her. Unlike Arthur there was nothing to stop her from punching him and possibly doing much more harm to him after the initial punch as she wouldn't be afraid of being executed for 'murdering the prince of Camelot' with him.

Having fun at her expense was far worth it though.

Marayna rolled her eyes at her brother before pushing the door to the chambers open, she had learned from her brother that the prince was greatly annoyed whenever Merlin would enter and not knock, so she took it upon herself to do the same. She wasn't at all surprised to see Arthur _still_ lying in bed. She could tell he was awake by the fact that he wasn't breathing as slowly as she had come to associate with those who were actually asleep. Instead, he had an arm draped over her eyes, trying in vain to block out the small increments of light that filtered in through the cracks in his curtains.

Her thought that he was indeed awake was proven correct as the prince groaned, "Didn't I tell you to knock before entering?" he removed his arm to glare at his two servants.

"You may have told Merlin," she countered, crossing her arms over her chest as Merlin went to open the curtains, "But, as of yet, I am unaware of the proper morning procedures."

Arthur returned his arm to his eyes and groaned again, too many big words for so early in the morning not to mention the blinding headache that had assaulted him upon waking. This was the last time he let Merlin talk him into 'having a few drinks,' a few being far too many if it caused such a headache. Marayna nearly took pity on the prince, there had been a time or two when she herself had had far too many drinks and woken up with a pounding headache, but then she remembered the events of the day before and the look of hurt on her brother's face and instantly felt better about the prince's pain. Good, the prattly prince _should_ suffer if just a bit. Merlin may have forgiven him, but she had yet to and she could hold a grudge longer than anyone she knew.

Arthur removed his arm once more and looked at the girl before him. She stood there with a look on her face as though awaiting instructions. She wasn't kidding about not knowing what to do for the mornings. Clearly she had never been a servant before.

He nearly groaned again at the thought of training another Merlin, but instead he sighed, "This is how it shall be for mornings," he started, sitting up a bit more in bed, wincing slightly as the movement spiked a pain in his head, "Merlin shall draw curtains, you shall draw my blankets down. You will then lay out my clothing which Merlin shall dress me in while you make my bed. You will both then inform me of the day's events," she raised an eyebrow at him, "What now?" he nearly rolled his eyes, or he would have if he weren't 100 percent certain that doing so would cause him to start seeing stars.

She smirked, "Nothing," she glanced at Merlin to see him smirking as well and shaking his head, clearly thinking the same thing she was, "Nothing at all."

"Well get to it then," Arthur commanded, in no mood for private jokes or sass that morning.

Marayna shook her head and moved to draw Arthur's sheets down so the prince could get out of bed, sending a small mental question to her brother, '_He truly can't do ANY of this for himself?_'

'_Apparently not,_' he answered, laughing.

It took Marayna all of two seconds to pull down the blankets before she made her way over to Arthur's cupboard to sift thought his clothes. She and Merlin, well, _she_ since she was the only one sober at the time, had been instructed that the following day Arthur would dine with his father, inspect the market place for the crafter of Valiant's shield, and then test the knights. They had no idea who had made Valiant's shield and so the king wanted to ensure that it was no man in Camelot who had. He also wanted to re-test the knights to know for sure that none of them had won their place though magic as Valiant seemed to have.

Looking though the cupboard, Marayna had no idea what would be suitable for breakfast with the king and training with the knights. She doubted Arthur would wish to change his outfit during the day unless it became utterly filthy and she couldn't imagine that happening as he merely walked through the market. Finally she settled on a simple red tunic and brown pants. It was similar to what she had seen him wear the first day she arrived in Camelot. It would have to do until she learned what was 'proper' attire for various activities.

She carefully folded the clothes and set them on a wooden chest at the foot of Arthur's bed, not even bothering to wait for his approval before moving on to make the bed, if he didn't like the clothes then he ought to have picked them out for himself. It was actually a decent set up when she thought about it though. Her back was turned from Merlin as he dressed Arthur while she made the bed, that way she wouldn't have to suffer through a semi-naked Arthur. She finished the bed just as Merlin pulled Arthur's shirt over him and straightened it. Merlin stepped away from Arthur as Marayna stepped beside him with the prince looking at them both.

"Well?" he asked expectantly, but Merlin and Marayna just stared at him blankly. He sighed, "What am I to do today?"

"Oh," Marayna nodded, "Your father requests your presence at breakfast, then you are to search the market for anyone who could have crafted Valiant's shield, and then inspect the knights to see if they too used sorcery to attain their rank."

Arthur gave a curt nod and strode out of the room, both servants following after him.

~8~

Breakfast went by painstakingly slow for both Merlin and Marayna. Merlin was expected to fill Arthur's goblet whenever it was low with some sort of juice while Marayna was to retrieve whatever food Arthur wished from the middle of the table for him to choose from. It was rather irritating, she had the sneaking suspicion that Arthur had no intention of eating half the food he requested but did so anyway just so she would pick it up, carry it, hold it out, and then return it just as heavy as it was when she first picked it up.

Just as Arthur made to stand to leave and see to his duties, Uther called him over to the chest of gold coins that he had won during the tournament. He handed him a velvet pouch which Arthur filled with a handful of coins should he find something in the market he wished to possess.

He strode past Merlin and Marayna, who both merely rolled their eyes and followed him out. Marayna couldn't help but rub her arms a few times as she followed her brother to the market. Stupid Arthur and his stupid inability to get up and get food for himself. Honestly, did those tables HAVE to be so long? Why couldn't they be shorter so that whoever wanted food could just reach out their arm and pluck it up? It was a pointless setup.

'_He must be the laziest royal in the land,_' she muttered to Merlin.

'_I tend to think Uther is a bit worse,'_ Merlin laughed in reply.

"Merlin!" Arthur snapped, apparently he had called his name quite a bit in the last few seconds and was rather peeved that his manservant was ignoring him.

"Yes, sire?" he turned to Arthur, unable to mask his grin from what his sister had said.

It was Arthur's turn to roll his eyes, "I want you to take some of these coins and go to Gwen's father's forge," he instructed slowly, taking a handful of coins and pressing them into Merlin's hand, "Gather some weapons for my trial with the knights."

"What sorts of weapons? I assume swords and shields, anything else?"

Arthur pondered it a moment, it was actually a decent question, "Whatever else he has lying around will do. I might as well test them in various modes of combat."

"Yes sire," Merlin replied before turning to glance at his sister, '_Behave Aya._'

'_Don't I always?_' she answered as Merlin shook his head and headed off to Gwen's, "And what errand shall I be running?"

Arthur grinned evilly at her for the question. He was still rather miffed by her lack of proper respect for a royal of Camelot. Not once had she called him sire or my Lord...in a context and manner that didn't come out sounding as though he were the most vile man to walk the planet, and he was about to see to it that she be punished for it, "You shall accompany me to the seamstress's."

"Why?" she raised an amused brow, "Need a wider shirt hole to fit around your enormous head?"

He narrowed his eyes at her, "Not at all," he gave her a tense smile, half-speaking through his teeth, "It seems you are truly unprepared for the traditions and ways of Camelot. I have overlooked it these last few days, for you were not my servant then, however I feel it cannot be ignored any longer. Especially now that you _are_ my servant and I can't have my servants dressing as such."

"Dressing as what?" she looked down at herself, she was wearing her usual clothing...tunic, belt, leggings, and boots. Nothing out of the ordinary there.

"We shall have you fitted for a dress."

If it was possible, Arthur's grin widened.

"You're joking," she stated flatly, but he simply shook his head, "But you can't be serious! A _dress_!?" she HATED dresses! They were long and got in the way and took far too much looking after and and she always tripped on them and now he wanted to force her to _wear_ them? _Constantly_? What sort of hell had she entered in becoming a servant?!

"Of course. It is only befitting a woman to wear a dress, especially one who will appear at court quite often in the service of the Prince," he smirked at her staring at him in open-mouthed, wide-eyed horror, "Now, come along, we haven't all day," and with that, he reached out and took her arm, leading her through the various lanes of the market.

"But...but...but what of the shield maker? Your father will be _furious_ to learn you spent your time buying dresses for a servant rather than looking for a _sorcerer_!"

Arthur laughed at that, "I highly doubt Valiant secured the shield here in Camelot. Not only did he already have his shield with him when he arrived in the kingdom, which leads me to believe that he had it crafted in another realm, but he was in the castle the entire time and would not have had a chance to seek out anyone in the market. And, judging by his utter lack of honor, I'd wager he used the snakes on the creator, which would prevent any other enchanted shields of the sort from being created."

She cursed silently to herself, he had it all figured out didn't he?

~8~

Marayna groaned as she carried a package of bundled cloth in her arms, the new dresses that Arthur had bought her. She was scowling as they walked through the busy market. It wasn't that she was _entirely_ against wearing dresses, she could if she absolutely _had to_ as she had proven during the feast last night. But, given that she was as servant, she felt like the dress would just get in the way more often than not. The king had male servants and Morgana was a lady so it made sense that she would have a maidservant. Arthur though, he was a male, he should have had only male servants.

No doubt Arthur would have her mucking out the stables and fixing his armor and what not. And even if he gave her menial chores like mending clothing she would still get herself to the stables to help muck them out. It wasn't fair to her brother to have to do manual labor while she sat around stitching things. No, they would both have an equally hard share of the chores...not to mention sitting around all day sewing would drive her absolutely mad. But if she was going to be mucking out the stables, a skirt would _not_ do. Gwen wouldn't need worry about her dress getting soiled, Morgana, being a lady, would most likely only have her do more domestic chores.

She had learned from her life in Ealdor that working in the fields in a dress was far more difficult than in pants. She had no idea how her mother was able to do it, or how any other woman was able to. She much rather preferred her leggings to a skirt, especially if she was to do actual labor. She would wear a dress or skirt if the situation called for it, but if she could, she would wear her leggings as often as possible. She knew it was greatly frowned upon for women to wear men's attire, but she'd rather wear simple leggings than have to scrub manure out of a skirt every day.

That would get tedious and she was rather sure that she'd end up attempting to smother Arthur in his sleep for it.

She didn't expect Arthur to understand that though, he had probably never done a day's labor in his life let alone had to touch manure. In fact, the closest he probably came to the substance was catching a whiff of it outside the stables.

"You'll not be getting rid of those clothes," Arthur called from beside her, "So you'd best remove the scowl from your face. Wouldn't want to seem ungrateful would you?"

She rolled her eyes but said nothing at all, managing to warp her features into a somewhat neutral expression.

Arthur wasn't sure which was worse, having her scowl at him or look at him with no hint of any emotion at all on her face. He sighed, stopping and forcing her to stop as well, "Here," he handed her five gold coins, "You might as well get something you actually _like_."

She stared at the coins in her hands, then up at Arthur, an annoyed expression now on her face, "You think that paying me off will make me happy?"

Arthur's eyes widened in shock, he had certainly not expected that. He had always thought women relished in receiving gifts and having money to spend on pretty ribbons and such. Yet, here was a woman actually telling him that she _wouldn't_ be happy just because he gave her money. Well that was a first, "If you don't want it…" he started, reaching out to take the money back.

She withdrew her hand, "You've already given it," she muttered, "Would it be proper to take it back?"

He nearly smirked, so she _did_ want the money.

He watched her look around and did so as well, unable to help but wonder what she was going to buy. Out of the corner of his eye he saw her stop looking and focus on something a little ways away. He followed her gaze and saw a stall with various assortments of flowers, a small group of rather dirty children huddled against a wall, and another stall of fish. He hoped she was staring at the flowers, fish always smelled funny to him and if he had to be near it he wasn't sure he would keep his honor in not taking the money back.

Abruptly Marayna turned to the left and walked in the opposite direction of the flowers and over towards a stall that was selling bread. His brows furrowed in confusion as he watched her buy nearly three coins worth of bread, two coins worth of cheese, and a small amount of apples with the left over change. She seemed to be struggling with the cloth and the food so he made his way over to her and took some of the loaves from her. She looked up and nodded her thanks at him. He nodded in return and began walking back to the castle...when he noticed she hadn't followed him.

Instead, she had started in the direction of the flower stall. He had no idea what she was doing, she hadn't any money left over and he doubted the woman selling flowers would be willing to barter bread and cheese for flowers, "Marayna," he called, taking a few steps towards her, "The castle is this way."

She looked at him as though he were being daft, of course she knew which way to the castle, it was quite hard to miss with it looming in the distance, "Be that as it may," she waved off his comment, "That is not the way I am going."

He sighed and shook his head, already digging into his pockets for a few spare coins to pay for the flowers she would undoubtedly want to buy. Honestly, women, they were so…

His thoughts were cut off when, instead of stopping before the flower stall, Marayna knelt before the children. He couldn't hear what they were saying as Marayna was speaking in hushed tones for they seemed a bit startled by her. She glanced over at him and waved him over almost impatiently. He headed towards her, utterly confused as to what she was planning. She stood up, took the bread from him and carefully handed a loaf to each of the children along with a bit of cheese and an apple. She set the leftover bread down on a small stone with the rest of the cheese on top of it.

The children looked reverently at the food in their arms before staring up at her with tears in their eyes. Arthur was about to speak when what appeared to be the eldest child hugged her tightly, mumbling words of thanks in her ear. She patted him on his back, ruffling a hand through his dirty hair without a care for how soiled it was, and stood, leaving the children to their feast, pulling Arthur away with her.

"What was _that_ all about?" he frowned, she had just wasted a bit of his money to give some little urchins perfectly good bread and cheese. No doubt they were pick-pockets and stragglers the lot of them! He was rather stunned, though, when he felt a sharp sting in the back of his head where she had just _slapped_ him! HIM! The Prince of Camelot, "Ow!" he winced, glaring at her, to see her glaring right back, "What was that for?!" he hissed, unintentionally mimicking what Merlin had said just the other day.

"That was for you being a royal prat," she nearly shouted, but kept her voice low for the sake of not drawing attention to them.

"Well I wasn't the one feeding the street urchins."

"Street urchins?" she scoffed, "Is _that_ what you think they are?" when he didn't reply she continued, "Arthur, they were_ orphans_."

"And how do you know?" he countered, there was no way she could tell that they were orphans just by looking.

"They were dirty, their clothes barely fit and were torn, they didn't have shoes, their hair was filthy, and they were far too thin for their own good," she listed, "Honestly, don't you think that, if they had parents, they would be out there with them, begging for food? And if, in fact, they WERE urchins and pickpockets, wouldn't they have been more hidden and not sitting there miserably?" he hadn't thought about that, "They were probably starving, not used to being out on the streets just yet and I wanted to help them even if it was buying them just a bit of bread."

"That still doesn't prove they were orphans," he murmured.

"I _asked_ them," she shook her head at him, "You know, it doesn't hurt to actually _talk_ to your subjects, no matter how young or poor they are. I asked, where their parents were, and the look in their eyes was enough to tell me they had either died or been killed by something, recently too if I had to guess. They are without anyone. I've seen plenty of children like that in my village."

"So are you going to venture out every week and feed them with your wages?" he questioned a bit harshly, he didn't enjoy being put in his place not only by a servant but by a woman, he got enough of that from Morgana.

"I won't be able to," she admitted sadly, "I wish I could but...I wouldn't make enough to feed even one of them for very long," she sighed, running a hand through her hair as he was starting to get the impression she did when she was frustrated, "I wish Helena was here."

"Who?"

"Helena was a woman in my village who took in the orphaned children. She gave them a home and food."

"How did she support them? It couldn't have been easy."

"It wasn't," she agreed, "But...that's the beauty of a small village like Ealdor, everyone helps and everyone pitches in. Every week or so she would visit everyone in the village and ask for anything they could spare. Pieces of cloth, an old shirt, spare food, extra coin…anything that could help. She would go to the craftsmen, the few we had, the farmers too, and see if they could take a child or two as an apprentice, so they would have a craft when they grew older. It wasn't just about taking them in but hoping to provide them a future as well."

She looked away, a far off look on her face, a very sad look with hints of what Arthur could see was disappointment, a disappointment that made him shift, feeling uncomfortably like it was directed at him even though she wasn't looking at him, "What?"

She sighed again and turned back to him, "Why didn't _you_ help them?"

"What?" he repeated, a hint of a scoffing laugh to his words.

"You won a tournament the other day, _1,000 gold coins_ and what did you spend them on?" she shook her head, "Weapons for training and clothes for a servant? You wouldn't have even spared a coin if I told you I wanted to buy a loaf of bread for those children, would you?"

He wanted to say he would, that of course he would, that he wanted to take care of his people, his subjects...but he knew in his heart, had she asked, he probably would have laughed it off and told her to let their mothers care for them. He wouldn't have even considered that they could be orphans, it just...it didn't fit with his ideal of Camelot. Urchins and beggars yes, but...orphans? He...he honestly hadn't given a thought that...that it was possible for there to be orphans in his kingdom. Camelot was just so beautiful and thriving a place, that to imagine children shivering in the cold, without family to care for them...it didn't fit into his image of his kingdom and he just...hadn't considered it. He utterly loathed himself now even having thought that. It was...stupid, of course there would be orphans! Given all the magical attacks that happened here and there and the casualties that they sustained in their soldiers and knights alone...it was a fool's dream to imagine none of the peasants had been harmed in a similar way.

But as he looked down at the girl beside him, he couldn't help but think, perhaps there was still something he could do to change that, to make...some sort of difference now that he was aware of it...

~8~

Marayna dropped off her clothing in hers and Merlin's room before rushing out to the armory where Merlin had just returned with the weapons Arthur requested. She had asked that she and Arthur stop at the forge and see if Merlin needed any help with the weapons when Gwen's father, who Marayna now knew was called Tom, said Merlin had just left.

She practically ran back to Camelot so that she could go help her brother with his chores, hoping if she was quick enough she wouldn't have to change into her dresses just yet. They had to prepare the training arena for the knights and set up all the weapons on a small table for them to choose from. Unfortunately, no one had bothered to straighten up the arena from the night before and she and Merlin had a wonderful time disposing of the two snake carcasses and their dismembered heads.

"So was this the first time you saved Arthur with magic?" Marayna asked her brother as they got to raking the arena for splinters and stones to make it smooth for training, making her way beside him to nudge him a bit, "Or did you save him before with your own brawn?"

"Ha ha," Merlin laughed sarcastically at his sister's joke at his gangly appearance. He couldn't be too mad though, being gangly seemed to run in the family as she was just as much as he was, "If you must know…"

"I must," she interrupted, smirking.

"There was a sorceress who wanted Arthur dead, she threw a dagger at him, I slowed down time, and pulled him out of the way," he paused his racking when he noticed his sister had stopped and was staring at him with a hand on her hip, "What?"

"That doesn't explain anything Merlin," she rolled her eyes, "Tell me the _whole_ story."

He smiled, shaking his head, "Well, I arrived in Camelot to see Uther about to execute a man for using magic. The man's mother, also a magic user, swore revenge on Uther, I believe her words were 'a son for a son' or something like that. I then went to see uncle. I think I surprised him a bit, he fell off his loft."

"Was he hurt!?" Marayna cut in, fear in her eyes. Why hadn't uncle told her he was hurt? Did he not want her to worry? Had he used magic to heal himself? Had he…

"I slowed down his fall and moved his bed underneath him just in time," Merlin laughed at her concern, his sister, while a bit suspicious and wary of strangers was always worrying and protective of their family and those she held dear, "I hadn't even realized I was doing it till after Gaius landed," he smiled, recalling it, "He started after me about if I was using magic or not and where I learned and so on. I gave him mum's letter and explained I was Merlin and then he recognized me."

He looked up to see her smirking at him, "Uncle likes me better," she sang, "He recognized me the moment he saw me."

Merlin rolled his eyes, "That's just because you look exactly like you did just...bigger, while I," he puffed out his chest, "Have filled out quite nicely, if I do say so."

"You have," she agreed, "Mostly."

"Mostly?" he shot her a playful look.

She lifted her rake to clank against his, "Your ears still need a bit of doing."

He laughed heartily at that, "Anyway," he continued, "I was out walking and met Arthur basically torturing some poor lad with throwing knives and I told him to stop. Called him a prat too."

"I take it that didn't end well?"

"I ended up in prison and Gaius got me out…only for me to end up in the stocks," he ignored Marayna's snort of laughter, "When I was in prison I kept hearing someone calling me."

"Who was it?"

"I had no idea, it wasn't till later I found out it was the Dragon," Merlin shrugged as though it were an everyday occurrence to find a Dragon below a castle, "Gaius told me of the Dragon but I didn't know it was the one calling me till later."

"What _is_ the Dragon's story?" she asked, leaning against her rack, "Why is it here? How did it even get captured? I'm sure a Dragon as large as that one couldn't have been easy to seize."

"I don't know," Merlin replied honestly, "All Gaius told me was that Uther had set out with a vendetta against all magic, including magical creatures, like Dragons."

"He didn't!" Marayna gasped, seeing where the conversation was going.

Merlin nodded sadly, "He had every Dragon, except the one in the castle, killed."

There was silence for a moment or two, "It must be very lonely," Marayna remarked for the Dragon, beginning her racking again, "To be the last of your kind."

"I imagine so," Merlin agreed.

She shook her head, not wanting to keep on that topic, "What happened after that?"

"Well," this time Merlin paused in thought, trying to remember the exact events that happened. It all seemed like a blur to him, it had happened so fast, "I went to see the singer Uther had invited to the castle, Lady Helen, to give her some sort of potion from Gaius."

"It wasn't Lady Helen was it?" she guessed.

"How did you know?" Merlin stared at his sister in awe but she just shrugged. He shook his head, he should be used to this by now. His sister always had a way of knowing things. Mother had called it woman's intuition, though Merlin had the sneaking suspicion it was more magical intuition than the fact that she was a woman, "No, it wasn't her. The sorceress from before, she killed Lady Helen and took her place to get to Uther and Arthur."

Marayna nodded as Merlin took a breath, "The next morning I got into another fight with Arthur. He, uh, he actually beat me pretty good."

He reached up to rub a hand on his shoulder, where Marayna guessed he had been injured during that tiff. She could feel her anger at Arthur rising yet again. When would that prince cease to be infuriating?

"It was that night I met the Dragon," she heard Merlin say.

"What did he tell you?" she asked, curious. If it was her destiny to marry Arthur, she could only imagine the horrors that Merlin's future held.

"Arthur is the Once and Future King, whatever that means, the man who will unite the lands of Albion and that he and I are two sides of the same coin," he grimaced, "I'm supposed to protect him and make sure he doesn't do anything stupid to get himself killed before he's king."

Marayna mirrored his grimace, "You have your work cut out for you. Arthur's an idiot."

Merlin couldn't help but laugh at that, her words mirrored his feelings on the young man as he had told the Dragon that nearly a week ago, "It could be worse," he smirked, "I'm not the one who's going to marry him."

"Neither am I if I have anything to say about it," she muttered, glaring at the ground as though it were the source of her problems and racking it with a vengeance.

Merlin walked over and took the rake from her, they had finished and now just had to set up the weapons, "Lady Helen gave a performance the next night, ended up putting everyone to sleep."

"Was she that bad?" Marayna smirked as she gathered up a few swords from the pile off to the side and placed them on the table as Merlin did the same with a few maces.

He smiled, "It was a spell Aya," he picked up a pair of sais and placed them on the table, "She cast it so no one would be awake to stop her from killing Arthur."

"But _you_ were," she reminded him, placing a staff along the long side of the table.

"I had enough sense to cover my ears," he grinned as she laughed, placing an ax on the table as well, "I saw her try and throw her dagger at Arthur and made the chandelier crash down on her."

"Ouch," she muttered, picking up some clubs.

"Ouch is right," he gathered up some shields and laid them against the table, "Everyone started waking up and saw that Lady Helen was really the sorceress. Didn't stop her from trying to kill Arthur _again_ though."

"People seem very determined to do that, don't they?" she mused, "And that's when you slowed down time and saved him?"

"Right," Merlin stepped back to admire their work, "Gaius gave me the magic book that night so I could study it and learn to control my magic."

"Good thing he did," Marayna quipped, "You have about the same control over magic as you do with the amount of gin you drink."

"I am not _that_ bad," he defended, laughing as they saw Arthur enter the arena with his knights.

~8~

The training was remarkable.

Marayna couldn't help herself from squealing a few times as she watched the knights face each other in combat. It was just so exhilarating to see them reacting and counteracting each other with weapons. It didn't appear to her that any of Arthur's men had achieved their ranks though magic, but rather hard work and massive amounts of training.

Eventually each and every knight had faced at least one other knight in combat, a few even facing Arthur himself. And each one had proven their worth as a knight, which seemed to satisfy Arthur quite a bit as he turned to his servants giving them a look that clearly meant they were finished for the day and to clear the weapons away while the knights chatted about the day's training.

Marayna walked about the arena to gather up some of the weapons that had been discarded after combat and not returned to the table. She reached out to pick up a sword that was lying on the ground when someone grabbed her hand with a vice-like grip, "What do you think you're doing?" a gruff voice asked to her right, "Weapons aren't for little girls to play with."

"And little girls aren't for knights to play with either," she muttered under her breath.

"What was that?" the grip tightened, causing a wince of pain to shoot up her arm.

"I am merely doing my job Sir Knight," she replied, biting her tongue to keep from saying something to make her situation worse, "Now if you would kindly...release my hand?"

He let go, pushing her arm away from her with such force that she stumbled a bit, nearly falling into the wall of the arena. She straightened herself before reaching down to pick up the sword when the knight grabbed that instead. She clenched her jaw before turning to face the man once more, "Sir, if you would?" she held out her hand for the sword. When he made no move to hand it over she glared, "Sir, if you do not give me that sword and let me do my job, I will be forced to take it from you."

The knight stared at her a moment before bursting out laughing. He pulled his helmet from his head so she could see him clearly. He had been dressed in brown, with red hair and brown eyes. There was a scar on his left cheek running from his cheek back to his ear.

She glanced around her to see that many of the knights had ceased their discussions at the sound of the one knight's laugh and were now looking at them. She fidgeted slightly, uncomfortable with the attention.

"And what," the knight's voice drew her back, "What do you think a little girl like_ you_ could do to get the weapon from_ me_?"

She heard a few chuckles from the other knights around her and felt her cheeks flush from a mixture of anger and embarrassment, '_Aya,_' she heard her brother in her mind, '_Don't._'

She ignored him though and reached out to take the weapon. She managed to grab the hilt and pull it towards her before the knight even realized what she had done, clearly not having expected her to even attempt such a thing, and grabbed her wrist once more.

"That," he muttered darkly, "Was _not_ a wise thing to do."

She stared at him defiantly and tugged her arm out of his grip, sword and all. She turned and walked back to the table when a shout resonated behind her, "Don't you walk away from me while I am speaking to you!"

She paused and glanced over her shoulder, "Just because you speak, does not mean I must listen."

She began to walk away again when the knight grabbed her elbow this time and spun her around, "I'll have you know, I'm one of the best knights here at Camelot. You'll show me some respect."

"I will show you respect when you come to EARN it," she shot back, seeing Merlin glance at Arthur to see the young man standing there, stony faced, it seemed not even he couldn't deny that this knight was one of the better ones, "And apart from that, being _one_ of the best is not being _the_ best. There may yet be someone out there who could best you."

He let out a barking laugh, "Oh, like who? You?"

"Maybe," she answered defiantly, cutting off his laugh, a challenge in her voice (a challenge she was quite sure she was going to regret...she never did know when to quit).

He glared at her, her unasked challenge lingering in the air. He was about to reply when Arthur finally spoke, "Sir Urry, that is enough, you've had your fun," the prince stepped up, "She meant no harm by her words."

"I'd say she did," Urry insisted, "And I say we settle this matter with a duel."

"Urry!" Arthur shouted only to be cut off by Marayna's, "I accept."

"Marayna!" Merlin exclaimed, this could not end well. His sister was...well, she had always been a mouthy little thing, her mouth getting her into all sorts of trouble. She never knew when to stop and when to back down and when she felt like she was being challenged she always seemed to feel the need to rise to it. It was one of her worst faults, her mouth, and it took a lot of doing just to get her out of the various situations it got her into.

"Let us make a little wager out of this shall we?" Marayna added, "The loser must muck out the stables for a month."

Urry glared, "That isn't quite fair, is it? You will be mucking out Arthur's stables anyway, you're his _servant_."

"I did not mean Arthur's stables," she explained, "I mean the stables for the rest of the knights."

He actually grinned at that, "You'd best be ready for some tremendous work. We've yet to have a decent stable-hand muck out the stalls yet."

"You as well," she reminded him that the challenge went both ways.

"And the winner?" Urry questioned, "What shall they win?"

Marayna shrugged, "Honor, glory, isn't that what knights always win? Perhaps...the pleasure of humiliating a woman?"

Merlin frowned, watching her. He knew his sister well enough to know she was baiting the man. Tempting him with the thought of humiliating her...it was like she WANTED him to fight her. He knew, he'd heard her silent curse in her mind the moment after she'd accepted the challenge, that she had realized her chances of winning against Urry were slim, that she had wanted to back out, but for all her pleas to try and change Arthur's mind...she could be JUST as stubborn as the prince was in not backing away from a challenge. She hadn't wanted to fight Urry, but now...now she seemed almost...eager for him to accept...

She was planning something, wasn't she?

Urry nodded, clearly enjoying the prospect of putting the girl in her place, "I agree."

Marayna nodded as well, "The weapons?"

Urry thought a moment, "Whatever you wish, I shall choose mine, you yours. I wish to make this as..._fair_ as possible."

The knights, however, knew this would be _far_ from fair. Urry was well skilled in various forms of combat, with many different weapons, the poor girl didn't stand a chance.

Marayna nodded, stepping back and gesturing at the table to allow him first choice. As he examined the weapons Marayna could hear a small presence in her mind of Merlin trying to warn her away from this but she determinedly ignored him. So instead, he turned to Arthur, "You can't let this happen!" Merlin hissed.

Arthur set his jaw, "I can do nothing to stop it," he remarked, "A challenge was made and accepted."

"But she's a woman!"

"I hadn't noticed," Arthur responded sarcastically as he glared at his servant, "It makes no difference, especially with Urry. Other knights would back out, concede defeat on the grounds of not wishing to face a woman in battle, but Urry is too proud. I can do nothing."

Merlin frowned as he watched Urry step back with a sword in his hand and make a mocking gesture for Marayna to step up and take a weapon. She glanced at the weapons, confusing Merlin for a moment, there was only one weapon she knew how to fight with but there she was, making a show of taking in the other weapons, a slightly worried frown on her face, as though she had gotten herself into something far too great for her to handle.

'_Aya?_' he wondered in her mind.

He could almost feel her smirk at him, '_Urry is the most arrogant sod I've ever met. He'll underestimate his opponent,_' she answered, '_I'm just...helping him along._'

It took everything in his power not to smile as he realized her plan. She knew she wouldn't be able to beat Urry by skill alone...so his crafty little sister was going to be tricky as well. Well done.

Marayna picked up the two sais, holding them just at the bottom of the hilt as though she were scared to hold it any closer to the blade. The knights around the arena laughed at the sight of the girl holding the sais that way, knowing she didn't have a proper grip or leverage to use them, and taking her place to face one of the better knights of Camelot.

Urry barely waited for her to be situated before he ran at her, swinging his sword. She lifted her left hand just enough to have the sai in it clang against the sword as she jumped away. This repeated quite a bit with Urry swinging and Marayna trying to jump away while using the sais to block her jump. Growing quickly impatient at the girl's lack of fighting, Urry swung twice as hard as he had, knocking both sais out of her hand. She quickly scurried across the ring towards her weapons as Urry and the other knights laughed at the sight.

Arthur's heart was hammering in his chest as he watched the girl trying to block the incoming attacks and rush off to reclaim her weapons. He wasn't sure whether he should be worried about her or furious that she was embarrassing him in front of his knights. Her attitude towards Urry had been nothing less than rude and the challenge was one that he felt should have only been given if she even stood a chance of winning, which she clearly didn't. He turned to look at Merlin, who must have been in a much more frantic state than he was, only to see the man grinning slyly as he watched his own sister participate in the so-called fight. He furrowed his brows in confusion, shouldn't he be a nervous wreck by now? Something was most certainly wrong here, but Arthur didn't have time to think on what it could be as he heard Urry shouting.

"You're not even holding them right!" the knight bellowed.

Marayna looked down to see that she was holding one sai with the blade running parallel to her arm, tip towards her elbow and the other was being held by the prong alone, "Oh," she muttered, "I supposed I should hold them by the hilt?"

They knights laughed hysterically at that.

Urry was about to tell her she should just give up...when his words caught in his throat and the laughter immediately ceased as Marayna nearly expertly swung the sais around by the prongs until she was holding them correctly in her hands. She shifted a bit to take on a more generic, but defensive stance, allowing Urry only a moment of stunned silence before she rushed at him. She swung the sais at him, leaving him only a single moment before he reacted to defend himself. They fought for nearly a minute, with Urry trying to block her blows but with Marayna striking in one place and then another only a second later, utilizing both sais in a way a single sword could not be. He had always been a one-sword man, but now he was starting to see the genius behind sais, he was having a difficult time blocking one thrust while not getting stabbed by another.

Marayna quickly tried to strike his left side with her left hand which he blocked by bringing his sword down on her sai to try and knock it down. This was just as she had hoped for as she moved her right sai to catch the sword between the prong and blade, twisting it slightly back to the right as Urry's arm bent with it. She jammed the hilt of her left sai into his wrist, forcing him to drop his sword. He reached out to grab her wrist, hoping to wrestle her into submission now that his weapon was gone, but she seemed to have expected a move like that from him and stuck her right foot behind his leg, tripping him. He fell backwards, landing with Marayna crouching over him, her left sai pressed against his neck with him grabbing her wrist to keep it from getting too close.

"I think I win," she smirked.

He snorted, "There's not much this wee blade can do to harm me," he explained. While the sai may have been pressed against his throat, it would do little in terms of beheading him, and with his grip on her wrist he could _easily_ keep her from doing more than pressing it against his throat.

"I have to wonder, Sir Urry," she spoke out loud, a musing look on her face, "Which _head_ would you miss more?"

He stared at her, confused, before he saw her glance flicker down then back to him. He lifted his head to see that she had her other sai hovering just spaces above a very important part of his lower anatomy.

It was at that point where three things happened...

The first, were the knights bursting out with laughter at the predicament their fellow comrade was in.

The second, was Arthur choking on air at the vulgarity of Marayna's statement, completely unbefitting a lady or even a woman, and staring at Merlin, who was quite used to his sister's humor and manner of speech.

And the third...was Sir Urry realizing he had lost to a _woman_, been humiliated before his peers, and swearing revenge.

~8~

Merlin and Marayna sat in the armory, among the various weapons that had been used that day, cleaning them as Arthur had instructed. After Marayna's defeat of Urry, he had tried to get out of his agreement to muck out the knight's stables, but Marayna, prepared for this possibility had innocently asked if it was common for knights to _break_ their _oaths_. Merlin laughed as he recalled the look on Urry's face when he realized he had been trapped. He could either muck out the stables and be a laughing stock of the knights for having been beaten by a girl or not and suffer the stigma of being an oath-breaker, which was _not_ something knight's aspired to be.

'_What's so funny?_' Marayna asked, hearing his chuckle.

'_Urry's expression,_' he answered, his shoulders shaking as he thought on the memory.

Marayna laughed as well though...she knew she had been VERY lucky to manage to win that match. Urry WAS very skilled and, had it not been for his own pride, arrogance, and hubris, she was sure he would have bested her easily. She wasn't exceptionally skilled with sais, she knew the basics, she knew only what had been taught to her, and she hadn't been able to practice in years. So...she'd had to resort to trickery to help her chances. She'd baited the knight, she'd tricked him, and she'd made him underestimate her as much as she possibly could, till he'd let his guard down and thought himself already the victor.

It had been a risky move, she knew, the moment she had accepted the challenge she had realized she could NOT win any other way. She wasn't a weapons expert and despite the fights she'd gotten into over the years, she was aware and understood her skills, what level they were, and what she could win and not win...and Urry far surpassed her. She had truly been very lucky the man really was the most arrogant sod she'd ever met, she wouldn't have been able to fool him the way she had, to lull him into a false sense of victory and then attack while he was most surprised and unprepared.

It had been Urry's own arrogance that did him in, NOT her minimal skills with sais.

"I still don't understand," Arthur began as he walked into the room, moving to lean against a table, "You looked as though you had never seen a weapon before, much less had any experience with sais of all things," they truly were quite the uncommon weapon.

Marayna shook her head, "A few years ago there was a small group of knights stationed near our village. They were only there a fortnight but they decided to teach us how to fight so we could defend ourselves from raiders and bandits and such. They didn't have many weapons available so we gathered as many as we could find throughout the village to practice with."

"They taught us to ride also," Merlin added, "Pretty much just the basics we would need to know. It was up to us to improve on our own. Marayna's far more talented in fighting than I am."

"I could have guessed that," Arthur remarked as he thought back to how easy it had been to fight Merlin and win.

Marayna, sensing the direction of Arthur's thoughts, glared at him, then turned to Merlin, "I may be more talented in fighting, but you're _much_ more talented in other things."

"Like what?" Arthur asked, "Being a clumsy oaf?"

Both Merlin and Marayna blatantly ignored him, "You're just as good as I am," Merlin countered, both of them aware they were speaking of their magic. Marayna had always been more of a spitfire, ready to physically fight off the bullies of their village, mostly because her magic was a bit more controlled so it didn't pop up so unexpectedly very often, whereas he had been more quiet and passive, using magic instead as it tended to happen on its own more often than not.

'_No,_' she whispered to him, '_I'm not._'

'_I do a lot of accidental magic,_' Merlin retaliated, '_You have more control than me so it doesn't happen as often._'

'_I still think you've the stronger magic,_' she commented.

'_Probably,_' he smirked.

"Then you are just as good as me in fighting," she replied, realizing that Arthur was staring at them during their silent exchange, likely waiting for them to speak.

Arthur snorted, "_Mer_lin? Good at _fighting_?"

Marayna rolled her eyes at his laughter, "When you practice with him, what weapons do you use?"

"A sword," Arthur replied, shaking his head in confusion, "Naturally."

"As I said before, there weren't many weapons to choose from and practice with. Many children in the village had to pick a random weapon besides a sword."

"So what are you saying?"

"You should never cross Merlin when he has a _staff_," she smiled proudly at her brother as he blushed slightly from her praise.

"I'm not that good," he mumbled.

"Need I remind you, you almost won."

"Won what?" Arthur questioned, not liking how he had no idea what they were talking about.

Merlin sighed, "Before the knights left, they had a little...mock tournament where the winner could keep the weapon they practiced with."

"Merlin almost won," Marayna added.

"I take it you won then?" Arthur looked at Marayna, no doubt in his mind that she had won after the display of skill she had shown.

"Do I look like I have sais with me?" she answered with another question, "No, one of our..._friends_ in the village won a sword."

Merlin and Marayna carried on in silence, finishing up the last of the weapons as Arthur thought on what he had been told. Apparently Merlin and Marayna _could_ both fight, just with their weapon of choice. Well, that wouldn't do. He supposed Merlin would always be able to find a large stick or something to use as a staff, but what would Marayna do? Break a stick in half and poke someone with it? No, he had to make sure that they were more prepared than that, he'd have to train them in swordplay and other weapons. After all, it wouldn't do to have his servants so ill-prepared that HE had to come to their rescue ALL the time.

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a series of clangs. He looked up to see Merlin and Marayna collecting the various weapons they had cleaned and move them towards a weapons chest. He waited till they were finished before walking back to the castle, them following close behind.

But just as they passed the great hall, Arthur stopped them, "Merlin, I am not in need of your services tonight, you are excused. Marayna," he turned to her, "Might I have a word?"

Marayna glanced at her brother only for him to shrug, apparently he had no idea what Arthur wanted either. He turned and headed down the hall toward their chambers while Arthur held the door to the Great Hall open for her to enter.

As soon as she was through he shut the door and strode over to the chest that held his coins from the tournament, "I wanted to show you something," he said quietly, lifting the top to reveal...an empty box.

She stared at it a moment, blinking, before looking at him, "I'm not entirely sure I understand."

He smiled at her, "I had Morgana go to the market and see to it that something be done for the children who had lost their parents, she's much better at organizing things than I am. I gave her the rest of the gold coins to set up a housing arrangement for the children and buy some food to start them off on caring for them. According to her, she found a few women who had recently lost their children and still wished to care for others. She even managed to speak with some of the craftsmen of the village to see about having them take on apprentices from the group of children already gathered," he glanced at her to see her staring at him, wide-eyed, "I found your story about the woman in your village very inspiring really. I thought…it might make Camelot a better kingdom. I know it's very basic and…"

His words were cut off by Marayna throwing herself into him and hugging him. He froze for a moment before tentatively reaching up and placing his arms on her back. As soon as he did that, though, Marayna seemed to realize what she had done and quickly pulled back. Neither Arthur nor Marayna could look at each other, which was a fairly good thing considering they were both blushing quite profusely.

"Thank you," she murmured after a while.

"For what?"

"You listened to a servant," she answered, shrugging, "You...you heard what I said and truly _listened_."

She let out a breath at that, as though just realizing how much of a feat that really was. She'd met more nobles than she cared to know who didn't hear a word that anyone else had to say so this...it was...not something she had been expecting. She'd assumed he would, being the arrogant prat that he was, just ignore her little story about Helena, that he'd roll his eyes and think it a waste what the woman did. She hardly thought, after his display of nearly refusing to listen to even Merlin the other day, that he'd listen to her. She most certainly didn't think he'd actually DO something about it like that. It was...unexpected, it truly was. And...surprising, in a very good way.

She had truly thought Arthur was just like his father, all the stories she'd heard of the brute, what he'd done to magic users, to the creatures of magic. She thought Arthur would be the same way but...here he was, the prince, using the spare gold (not that he didn't already have enough gold to spare) to try and...help children. Because of something SHE said. She shook her head, she...could admit when she was being biased, and she still thought him a prat, but...perhaps he wasn't...entirely...selfish and arrogant and dim.

Perhaps there was just a tiny sliver of...something...in him.

She smiled a bit at that, yes, maybe there was a tiny sliver of Not-Uther in him, "That is...the making of a great king," she remarked, "One who cares about even the smallest voice," she looked up at him, "Keep going like that and you might just make this a stronger and better kingdom."

He thought a moment on what she had said, she hadn't outright praised him. She had merely remarked he'd done well in this, he'd made a small improvement she wasn't falling all over him in worship and...that was good, because in the grand scheme of the kingdom...there truly was MUCH more to do to make Camelot as great and strong as she could be. She had just...reminded him of little things that helped as well, and reminded him about what he COULD do even as a prince. He had to smile at how she kept the perspective of it all in mind, but still...he felt a bit warm to hear her think that he stood a chance of improving the kingdom, "Thank you Mara, I…"

"Mara?" she questioned.

"I..." he blinked, as though just realizing what he'd called her, "Uh, I just, well, your name is rather long, and I just…"

She laughed, "It _is_ quite a mouthful, isn't it? Why do you think Merlin calls me Aya?"

He sighed, relieved she wasn't irritated by the nickname, he'd tried go call Morgana 'Gana' once and she'd slapped him in the back of the head with the book she'd been reading, "Well, thank you. I...I can admit that I wouldn't have even noticed the poor state some of the children are in had you not pointed it out."

She nodded and they fell into silence once more, till she glanced around to see it was dark and fairly late, "If that is all, sire?"

"Oh, yes, yes that's all," he replied, "You're excused."

She nodded and walked away, a soft smile present on her face. Perhaps...perhaps she had underestimated Arthur, like Urry had her. Maybe he wasn't _entirely_ a prat after all. No, no she was quite sure he was, but...

There was certainly hope for him yet.

A/N: I can't promise every original chapter will be a continuation of the prior episode, but this one was :) I wanted to sort of see what Marayna's first day as a servant would be like :) Pretty easy compared to what I think Merlin's would have been lol ;) I can promise though that Marayna isn't some exceptional fighter, she really and truly only beat Urry because she riled him up and got him to_ really_ underestimate her :) She'll be more of the...seeing where she's weak and trying a trick or two to make up for that sort of person :)

Please let me know what you think of this chapter, I always get really nervous with original ones and...this series will have more original ones than I've ever done before, nearly 51 in total :)

But I'm glad you're all liking Marayna so far ^-^

Sweotol heafod_ - _Clear the head (according to an Old English translator, not sure if it's entirely correct :))

Some notes on reviews...

Marayna is the younger sister ;) It was mentioned once or twice in the prior chapter ;)

I think Marayna's magic will be as strong as Merlin's but in a different concentration than his is. I'm going to be dividing up the types of magic into 3 or 4 groups that we'll learn about later :) But yup, she'll have her own Druidic name ;)

I can't say what type of magic Marayna has just yet, we'll find out though :) I think Merlin and Marayna are pretty evenly matched, but just stronger in different areas of magic :)

I sort of wanted Marayna to find out right when she got there, to sort of be like...she just arrived, met this arrogant prat, and then finds out she's supposedly going to _marry_ him!? O.O lol, she's definitely not going to be very agreeable to that at first. And it parallels Merlin learning his fate as well fairly soon after arriving :) I'm going to definitely try to build up their relationship as naturally as possible, which is why I added original chapters to give more flesh and realism to it :)

Marayna is pronounced (at least in my head) Mah-Ray-Nah :) There'll actually be a part of an upcoming chapter where we'll get that along with a few mispronunciations of it :)

I don't think it's strange, given how Marayna interacts with Arthur, I'm very excited to see her interact with Uther too ;) Plenty more bonding and fighting to come, Marayna will get the best of Arthur in quite a few ways ;)

I was debating a riddle for Marayna's destiny, but there'll be a bit of an ongoing joke that that was the clearest help the Dragon'll be giving them and it frustrates her to no end that he just had to tell her THAT clearcut but nothing else lol ;)

Aww thanks! I'm glad you're liking it so far :) I'll definitely try to be as consistent in updating this as my other stories :) I will be continuing Sherlock to yup, there's a note up on my profile in Leena's section that it will be updated on January 19th with Welcome Holmes ;) I've already got Empty Hearse and Many Happy Returns written up ;)

Morgana in the later parts of the show doesn't want Arthur on the throne you're right ;) But this is still series 1 where she has no idea she even has a claim and just wants to see Arthur be a better man than his father is ;) Things will be...very different with Marayna around. I think, with two people looking after Arthur, it'll leave Merlin more time open to notice...other things ;)

There won't be any love triangles in this story (I find them cliche and they just don't work for me :( ) But there will be oodles of jealousy on Arthur's part as Gwaine will have a very close relationship with Marayna ;) This will be updated daily, it was FF glitching and keeping all authors from updating today :(


	3. The Mark of Nimueh

The Mark of Nimueh

It was a rather nice day at Camelot, or at least it would have been...had a body not been found at the edge of the market place. Gaius had been called in and so, of course, his niece and nephew asked to go with him, Arthur was at training with the knights so it wasn't like they were needed for anything important. And...if they could drag this out a bit, perhaps they could be set to help HIM instead of following Arthur around. Which was why morning would find Marayna and Merlin crouched next to Gaius as he carefully examined the body on the ground.

"Aren't you worried?" Marayna asked, wrinkling her nose at the body lying face down before her.

"Of what?" Gaius questioned offhandedly, too focused on the body.

"That you might catch whatever it is," Merlin answered.

"I'm the Court Physician. This is part of my job. Most of the time there's really nothing to be scared of," he reached out to roll the body over, earning a squeak from Marayna as she jumped back at the sight of it. It was pale, far too pale to be normal, with pale blue veins bulging all over, its eyes as cloudy and blue as the rest of him.

'_I'm guessing this isn't one of those times?_' she asked her brother silently.

Merlin grimaced, "You were saying?"

Gaius looked around, startled, clearly not even HE was expecting something like that. He sighed, murmuring quietly to them when he noticed people walking past the small alley they had found the body in, "The people mustn't see this, they'll panic."

Marayna looked around and, spotting an old cloth, grabbed it and threw it over the body so that Merlin and Gaius could lift it onto the small wagon they'd brought with them.

~8~

'_What do you think it is?_' Marayna heard in her mind as she glanced up at her brother, who was pulling the cart with Gaius as she walked behind it.

'_I have no idea,_' she replied, '_But it can't be a natural disease._'

'_You think it's magic?_'

She shrugged, '_I hope not, but what else could it be?_'

Merlin furrowed his brow, '_Hopefully Gaius can find an answer._'

'_And a cure,_' she added, '_I just hope it doesn't spre…_'

"What're you doing?" a voice asked from behind them, startling them. They turned quickly to see Gwen walking up to them with a small handful of flowers in her hand and a basket on her arm.

"Uh," Marayna started, looking quickly at her brother for help.

What do you say to a question like that? Especially when one was trying to discreetly move a body without others noticing.

"Just...moving something," Merlin answered, mentally wincing at the knowledge that the something was what seemed to be a magically diseased corpse. He walked over to Marayna, standing next to her so that Gwen wouldn't be able to see the leg sticking through the cloth.

"Looks heavy," she commented, trying to peer around them to no avail as they leaned over every way she turned to block her attempts.

"Ah, not really," Merlin shrugged, trying to look casual, "You just have to…"

"Has someone given you flowers?" Marayna questioned suddenly, trying to steer the conversation away from the body and noticing the bouquet in Gwen's hands.

"Oh no," Gwen blushed, fiddling with the flowers for a moment before looking at them, "Would you like one? A purple one," she shuffled through the flowers, trying to pick two out.

"Sure," they replied slowly, reaching out as Gwen handed them some of the little lavender flowers. Marayna stuck one over her ear as Merlin placed his in his neckerchief. Gaius cleared his throat behind them and they quickly said their goodbyes, pulling the cart the rest of the way to the physician's chambers.

~8~

Meanwhile, in another part of the castle, Gwen entered Morgana's chambers, smiling brightly as she saw her Lady gazing out the window at the courtyard she had just been in. She could see a faint smile on Morgana's face and knew _exactly_ what (who) she had seen to put that smile there. Her grin widened as the noblewoman turned to face her, "You look happy," Morgana commented knowingly.

"I picked these for you," Gwen said, holding out the flowers for her to take.

"Aw, that's so sweet," Morgana gushed as she held the flowers to her nose, inhaling their sweet scent.

"Something to cheer you up," Gwen shrugged, offering her a concerned look, "I know you're not sleeping well."

"_You_ cheer me up," Morgana smiled.

Gwen smirked, "Though not as much as a certain_ other_ servant I suppose?" she laughed as Morgana blushed.

She really loved that about Morgana, about the relationship she had with her mistress, they were...friends. They were truly friends, had been ever since they were children and it was just...it relieved her to see that, despite being raised to privilege, Morgana was still very grounded and thankful for all she had. She never treated her like a servant, always fretted about her and was kind to her. Morgana made sure that both she and her father were well taken care of, always had a bit of extra coin, fabric for any dresses she may want to make, time to tend to her father and help him when needed. She was just...a very understanding mistress, very kind and always asked her to do things instead of ordering her to do them like other nobles.

She enjoyed that, being friends, she was glad Morgana saw her as that and not a servant. She never really saw others as servants though, she saw them as people, doing a job, a rather hard one. Morgana always tried to make life as easy as possible for her, tidying after herself, selecting her own clothes, keeping her room in order, anything she could to try and help Gwen out. And she appreciated it so much. She loved how Morgana saw the people and not the station...perhaps that was why she'd taken to Marayna and Merlin so quickly, she saw the sort of people they were, just...wonderful people.

~8~

Merlin and Marayna stood off to the side as Gaius continued to examine the body as it laid on an examination bench in the physician's chambers, looking through a magnifying glass as he poked at the protruding veins, "I've never seen anything like this before," he muttered to himself.

"Is it like a...plague or something?" Marayna asked, shaking her head as she stood a bit behind Merlin, the sight of the body was starting to unsettle her quite a bit. Despite being in such a small village, they'd never been exposed to many dead bodies, none like this.

"No, I fear that something like this could never come from nature," he answered before muttering, "But who has this kind of power?"

"You think it's caused by magic?" Merlin glanced at his sister, their fears already confirmed.

Before Gaius could actually speak though, a pounding on the door echoed throughout the chambers, "Merlin! Marayna!" Arthur's yells could be heard even through the thick wood.

Merlin laughed as Marayna rolled her eyes and went to open the door, muttering something about pratly, impatient princes under her breath,"We're coming!" she huffed, opening the door and half-glaring at the blonde man standing on the other side, "SO sorry we're late," she replied, though her tone alone told him _she_ wasn't sorry in the slightest.

"Don't worry, I'm getting used to it," Arthur sighed, before his eyes fell on the flower tucked away in her hair and his jaw tightened unconsciously, "Has someone given you flowers?"

Marayna eyed him, a delicate eyebrow rising at the question, it was said with...quite the different intonation than she'd given to Gwen, "Oh yeah," she rolled her eyes, "A rather dashing young man ran up to me in the market, gave me this flower, kissed me full on the lips, and declared his vast, undying love for me."

Arthur stared at her in wide-eyed shock. She had said it so seriously he wasn't sure whether she was telling the truth or having one on him. He wasn't sure why the thought of it being true bothered him though. She was a servant, a peasant, she was...fair, he supposed, to look at, but that was besides the point in that he really...shouldn't be bothered...and yet he almost felt he might just be...which was ridiculous, he'd only known her a short while!

"She's joking sire," Merlin cut in, seeing the shock and brief hint of...something that resembled pain flash across the young man's eyes. His own narrowed slightly, it seemed the prince was starting to care about his sister and, while the Dragon said it was destiny, he didn't have to like it. But still, he glanced at his sister and whispered in her mind, '_Aya be nice, he's not used to your humor yet._'

And indeed, Arthur didn't seem to take kindly to her jest either as he glared at them both, "Just tell Gaius my father wants to see him, now," and before they could speak another word, he stormed off.

Marayna rolled her eyes and turned to shut the door, she looked up to see Gaius chuckling silently to himself, "And what, may I ask, is so funny uncle?"

Gaius smiled as he shook his head, his gaze still focused on the body, "I never quite pictured Arthur as the jealous type," and indeed he hadn't, the boy had always been rather a bit...arrogant, hardly ever to feel inferior to someone else, fully thinking himself capable of obtaining whatever he wished.

"Right," she commented sarcastically, "Arthur is jealous, and I'm the Queen of Camelot."

'_You will be one day,_' Merlin smirked at her, '_The Dragon said so._'

'_Yes, because Uther would just LOVE to see a Queen who is not just a peasant, but a witch,_' she muttered back, though he could hear her perfectly.

'_Uther isn't Arthur,_' Merlin replied wisely, '_The Dragon said Arthur will return magic to Camelot._'

'_The Dragon also said you were two sides of the same coin,_' she mirrored his smirk as his own faded, '_Or have you forgotten?_'

He groaned in his mind, '_Don't remind me._'

'_Just because some overgrown lizard with wings says it, doesn't mean it has to be true, for all we know he went round the bend AGES ago,_' she laughed to him, making him chuckle at her calling the Last Great Dragon an 'overgrown lizard.' She smiled at his laugh and turned to face her uncle who hadn't even noticed the whole scene had gone on, "Uncle..."

"I heard," he replied, still not looking up.

"I mean, why couldn't he just tell you himself?" Merlin grumbled, still a bit put off at the reminder of his and Arthur's destinies being entwined, but then he recalled, at least _he_ didn't have to marry the prat and felt a bit better.

"Because that's the way it is," Gaius finally looked up at them, "You're servants."

"Well, if he knew who we were," Merlin started, "What we've done…"

"You'd be dead servants," Gaius remarked flatly, "Right, get this covered up."

"Why should we?" Marayna asked innocently, "We're not _your_ servants."

"No, you're my dogsbodies," he deadpanned, "Come on, hurry up."

~8~

Marayna flinched as she saw why her uncle had been called so urgently to the Great Hall. There, on the floor, surrounded by the king and some of the knights, was another body. She glanced to her side as she felt something take her hand and smiled thankfully at her brother for his silent comfort. She might have been the girl to hang around her brother and the other boys of the village more than with the girls but...dead bodies were just disgusting. They made her shudder and grimace and feel like her skin was crawling.

"What's happened to him?" Uther asked, his eyes wide with fear as Gaius rose from examining the body.

"I don't know, sire," he sighed, "That's the second case I've seen today."

"Why didn't you report it to me?" Uther demanded.

"I was attempting to find out the cause," Gaius replied calmly, Marayna had no idea how her uncle could remain so calm with Uther half-shouting at him.

"And what did you conclude?" the king eyed him, though everyone could tell he was dreading the answer.

"I don't think it's time to hurry to conclusions, the scientific process is a long one," Gaius looked away, trying to lead the king away from the topic he knew was coming, one he knew Uther would react very badly to.

"But why did you conceal this from me?" Uther questioned, more softly this time.

"Sire, I've never seen anything like this," Gaius answered quickly, "The victims are dying within 24 hours and it's spreading fast."

"So, what is the cause?" he demanded once again.

"I think you should say the cause, the most _likely _cause...is sorcery," Gaius answered reluctantly.

Uther gasped, his face growing two shades paler while Merlin and Marayna glanced at each other uncomfortably. This would not end well, especially if magic was involved. And now that Uther suspected a sorcerer to be the cause, they would have to be even more on guard with their magic. It was times like these where they actually felt a bit fearful. Uther's hatred of magic was well known and with him on alert...even the smallest suspicion or inkling of magic would set him off. Marayna squeezed Merlin's hand this time, more worried for her brother than herself. She hadn't done much accidental or reactive magic in her life, unlike her brother who, if you snuck up on him, would make things fly and whizz about in an instant. HE was the one she worried for, not herself.

Uther did not let his shock last long as he turned to Arthur and ushered him to the side, "We must find who did this…"

"I will father," Arthur promised.

"Conduct door to door searches, increase your presence in the town, double the guards on all the gates," Uther listed, trying to cover any and all bases he could think of, "And lend the physician your servants."

"Merlin and Marayna?" Arthur blinked, a bit shocked by the request, "But…"

"We need Gaius to find a cure, he needs all the help we can give him," Uther replied seriously and Arthur knew there would be no arguing with him, "If Gaius is right, believe me, this city will be wiped out. This is the kind of magic that undermines our authority, challenges all we've done. If we cannot control this plague, people will turn to magic for a cure. We _have_ to find this sorcerer and quickly."

Arthur sighed, "Yes, father."

~8~

Merlin and Marayna stood at the corner of an alley in the Lower Towns, watching as Arthur fulfilled his father's orders, breaking down the door of a small house and entering to check for evidence of the sorcerer. Gaius stood between them, waiting a moment before turning and gesturing for them to follow. They only made it a few steps before Marayna heard someone coughing. She turned to see a pale man sitting against a beam of a store and ran to his side, "Uncle!" she called, getting both his and Merlin's attention.

Merlin immediately joined her at the man's side before turning to look at their uncle, "Gaius, he's still alive."

"I'm afraid there's nothing we can do for him," the old man sighed.

"But we haven't tried," Marayna argued, grabbing the man's hand, trying to offer him a bit of comfort.

"If we don't know what the disease is, then how can we cure him?" Gaius reminded them.

"With magic," Merlin whispered firmly, looking at the old man.

Gaius quickly reached down and pulled them both to their feet, taking their arms and leading them away, "Look, they're suspicious of everyone," he whispered to them as they walked, gesturing at the guards all over, "This is _not_ the time to be using magic. _Science_ will lead us to the source of the disease."

Merlin and Marayna could only look at each other and hope their uncle was right, though they couldn't help but feel like, by the time that happened, most of Camelot would be dead if it truly was spreading as fast as he feared.

~8~

Merlin sat on a stool in the physician's chambers while his sister took her usual place on the table, both of them watching their uncle swirl something around in a vial. It was odd, the only time Marayna ever really sat on the bench properly was when she was eating, claiming that the mice and rats would be more inclined to climb up to the food than scamper on her feet. He had to chuckle a bit, imagining it, his sister, as the Queen, sitting on top of a table in her regal gowns as a treaty of some sort was being signed, the neighboring kingdom eyeing her as though she'd gone mad. It was...quite the amusing image.

"What are you doing?" Merlin asked, shaking his head from his thoughts to grimace at the awful white color of the fluid, it looked a bit too much like the coloring of the plague victims.

"I'm examining the contents of that man's stomach," Gaius replied simply.

There was a moment's silence before Marayna spoke, "And...that'll tell you who's done this?"

"No, but it might tell us how it's spread," he sighed and looked at his niece and nephew, "One thing I do know, this is magic of the darkest kind."

"Why would anyone ever use magic like that?" Marayna said out loud, she just couldn't fathom why someone would use magic to hurt someone else, especially innocent men and women and children, "It's not like it gives Uther or Arthur the best examples of how it can be used or gives hope of anyone seeing it besides being evil."

"Magic corrupts," was the answer Gaius gave, "People use if for their own ends."

"But not_ all_ magic is bad," Merlin insisted, looking at his sister who was nodding in approval. If magic was bad, then so were they and they very much liked to think that they weren't evil, "We know it isn't."

"It's neither good nor bad," Gaius explained, smiling softly at his family, knowing where their minds had gone and...he had to admit, they were likely the best chance anyone had of ever coming to see magic as a force of good as opposed to evil, "It's how you use it."

"Like a sword," Marayna murmured in thought, "It's just a tool, it's how the person holding it wields it that counts."

"Maybe we could tell that to Uther," Merlin jested, trying to lighten the mood, "Maybe he'll ban swords and we won't have to clean Arthur's armor anymore."

Marayna had just giggled when Arthur and some guards burst into the room, '_And he complains about US not knocking,_' Marayna thought to her brother.

"Sorry Gaius," Arthur looked around, "I'm searching every room in the town."

"What for?" Gaius demanded.

"The sorcerer," Arthur stated, motioning for his men to search.

"Why would he be here?" Gaius asked as Merlin and Marayna backed away from him a bit, knowing full well that their uncle took serious offense to that statement, that he might be harboring a sorcerer who meant harm to Camelot in his chambers. Merlin suddenly realized where his sister got her temper from, while neither she nor Gaius angered easily, when they were, they were dead scary.

"Look, I'm just doing my job," Arthur grumbled, clearly he didn't like this either.

"Well, we've nothing to hide, go on then, search," Gaius glared, his temper just a bit lessened by the prince's tone, but still...to have him or his father think that the sorcerer that conjured the plague was with him, why it was ridiculous! If anything, the sorcerers that would most likely _end_ the plague resided with him. But Arthur mustn't know that.

Arthur looked around before walking over to a pile of books on a table, "All these books and papers?"

"My life's work, dedicated to the understanding of science," Gaius said proudly, "You're quite welcome to read through them if you wish."

Arthur made a face that mirrored Merlin and Marayna's at the thought of reading through all those books. Arthur and his men continued their search when Arthur saw a door at the back of the room and moved towards it, "What's this room up here?"

"Oh, it's ours," Merlin answered, taking a step towards it.

"What do you expect to find in there?" Gaius asked as Arthur reached out and opened the door.

"I'm looking for materials or evidence suggesting the use of enchantments," Arthur repeated as though he had said it hundreds of time before, which he probably had.

Marayna's eyes widened as he disappeared into the room and she realized that she hadn't put the book away from when she'd been reading it last night!

"What have you done with that magic book I gave you?" their uncle whispered, noticing her expression.

'_You put it away...didn't you?_' Merlin asked, '_Please, Aya, tell me you put it away._'

'_I didn't,_' she replied, actually frightened, '_I'm so sorry Merlin!_'

Before another word could be spoken, Arthur's voice reached them from their room, "Merlin, Marayna, come here, look what I found."

The two looked at each other for a moment before rushing to the room, praying to every entity they could think of that Arthur had missed the book. They nearly cried with relief at the sight of Arthur looking at an empty cupboard in the back and_ not_ the magic book lying right at the foot of their bed, surrounded by an old blanket but still very visible.

"I found a place where you can put things," Arthur spoke, shutting the small door and turning to face them, "It's called a cupboard."

They strainedly grinned at him as he stepped past them and across the room to look at their bedside. While he wasn't looking Merlin quickly used her magic to drop a sheet over the book, hiding it. Arthur looked around once more before heading back to the main room, Merlin and Marayna following him with a relieved sigh, "How long do you think it may be before you find a cure?" Arthur asked Gaius.

"Depends on how many interruptions I get," Gaius replied tersely.

"Of course, I'm sorry," Arthur winced, embarrassed, before turning to the guards and motioning for them to leave, "We're finished here."

As soon as they were gone and Gaius shut the door he turned to face the two nervous siblings, "We have to hide that book," he told them simply.

"No, we must use it," Merlin smiled at his idea. He knew just what to do to stop the plague.

"Don't be stupid," Gaius remarked, his face setting into a serious expression.

"I have this legacy and what is it for?" Merlin asked, frustrated, "You keep telling me it's not for playing tricks…"

"You want to practice magic when the king is looking for sorcerers? Are you mad?" Gaius stared at him, completely at a loss to Merlin's reasoning.,"Merlin, your life is destined for more important things."

"But if he doesn't practice, how will he get to be this great warlock?" Marayna countered, smiling as Merlin gave her a grateful smile, "How will either of us?"

"There will come a time when your skills will be recognized," he insisted.

"When?" Marayna asked with a bit of a disbelieving laugh.

"How long do we have to wait?" Merlin added.

"Patience is a virtue," was all Gaius said.

"Sitting by and doing nothing, that's a virtue?" Merlin nearly spat. He hated being powerless to help those around him, especially when they were suffering. It was just as much in his nature to try and help someone in pain as it was for his sister to punch someone for _being_ a pain.

"Your time will come."

"Uncle...if we tried, we could probably cure that man we saw in the market," Marayna pleaded.

"I know it's tempting to use the way you find easiest…" Gaius started until Merlin interrupted.

"It is when it would save a life!"

"It's no good just saving one person," Gaius finished, as though Merlin hadn't spoke, "We need to discover how this illness is spreading."

"Arthur is out there right now looking for the sorcerer," Marayna added, her implication that their time was limited and the danger for them was imminent was not lost on anyone.

"A sorcerer who's powerful enough to do this will not be found searching the town," Gaius stated knowingly.

"So what can we do?" Merlin sighed.

"Hope that science can find the answer before this kills us all," Gaius sighed before turning back to his concoction.

~8~

A day or so later, yet another body appeared on Gaius's examining bench. Merlin and Marayna stood on either side as Gaius stood at the head, each of them looking at the poor soul who had fallen prey to the plague, "What's different about this victim?" Gaius questioned, looking at the two before him.

"She's a woman?" Merlin replied, confused as to where this was going.

'_Way to state the obvious Merlin,_' he heard in his head and glared at his sister.

"Sometimes I do wonder whether your magical talents were given to the right person," Gaius muttered, "Anything else?"

"She's a courtier," Marayna answered, "But what difference does that make?"

"Ah, courtiers seldom go down to the Lower Towns so what does that mean?" Gaius answered with another question.

Merlin and Marayna groaned, he wasn't going to make this easy was he? Merlin rubbed his head, getting a feeling his uncle was about to become worse than that bloody Dragon with his riddles.

"She'd never be caught dead talking to a peasant?" Marayna guessed.

"Do try to choose your words more carefully next time Rayna," Gaius sighed at her phrasing, "But yes, it suggests that the disease is not spread from physical contact."

"And they probably ate different food," Merlin supplied.

"Good, anything else?"

"I doubt they breathe the same air," Marayna thought out loud.

"So what's the only thing they do share?"

"Water?" Merlin asked as Gaius nodded, "Water! You think the disease is spread through water?"

"Merlin, you're a prodigy," Gaius replied sarcastically as he handed him a bucket.

Merlin and Marayna quickly left Gaius's chambers and went to the market to collect some water from the pump. Marayna had just finished pumping enough water to fill the bucket when Gwen ran past them, tears streaming down her face.

"Gwen?" Merlin asked, not entirely sure if it was Gwen he had seen, she ran by so fast.

Realizing it _was_ the girl in question though, Marayna quickly ran after her, leaving Merlin to grab the bucket, "Gwen!" she called, losing her as she reached Gaius's chambers.

"Gwen?" Gaius turned as the girl maneuvered her way around the various tables and chairs to stand before him, heaving from her run.

"Gaius," she cried.

"You have the sickness?" he questioned, immediately assuming the worst and trying to subtly examine her for symptoms.

She shook her head, "My father, please Gaius, he's all I have."

"Gwen," he swallowed, solemn, "I have no cure."

"I am begging you..."

"I wish there was something, anything, but so far, the remedy's beyond what I can achieve. I'm sorry Gwen."

Gwen simply shook her head and fled the room, her tears returning as Merlin and Marayna looked on in sorrow, "There must be something we can do?" Marayna turned to her uncle, her heart breaking for the girl. She knew both she and Merlin would be in the same boat if it had been their mother.

"Let's hope that this can provide some answers," Gaius took the bucket from Merlin.

"But that'll be too late for Gwen's father," Merlin protested.

"I fear you may be right," Gaius agreed, placing a small flower into a vial of water and shaking it.

~8~

Merlin glanced around the room that night as he carefully skimmed the magic book, looking for anything that could help Gwen's father. Eventually he found a spell that was exactly what he was looking for. He shut the book with a grin and quietly got up, careful not to disturb his sister or Gaius as he proceeded to sneak out of the room. He managed to get to the edge of the castle, right where the village started and he knew Gwen's house to be. He leaned around the corner to see a guard patrolling the street and tried to spot anything that could help him get past...

When he felt a hand on his shoulder.

He spun around, about to shout at the disturbance, when a hand was slapped across his mouth, "Shhhhh!" Marayna hissed as she kept her brother from calling out and alerting the guard.

Merlin pulled her hand off him, '_What are you doing here Aya!?_' he asked in her mind, not willing to risk whispering out loud.

'_Did you REALLY think I'd let you do this by yourself?_' she replied with a smile, '_I want to help Gwen just as much as you,_' she couldn't help her mind flashing back to thoughts of what she would do if it had been their mother.

Merlin smiled at her, sensing her thoughts. He was happy she was there, they always accomplished more together than they did apart, it was like...she channeled his raw magic, focused it in a way, where he was the power she was the aim. Not that he didn't think she was powerful in her own right, he'd seen...quite a few enormous things happen when she really focused and concentrated, but she just seemed to have more natural control so he never saw much of it.

He was about to ask her what to do about the guard when she leaned across him to peer around the corner, "_Onstyrian, onbregdan__,_" she whispered.

He turned quickly to see a door shut and the guard walking towards it before it swung open, effectively knocking him out, making him laugh, '_That was brilliant,_' he praised, putting an arm around her shoulder to tug her close and press a kiss to the side of her head before he pushed off the wall, taking her hand in his own and silently running down the street towards Gwen's.

They managed to reach it with no other guard in sight and carefully crept inside. Gwen's father was sleeping fitfully on the bed, Gwen kneeling beside it asleep as well. Merlin pulled out a poultice from his pocket and placed it under Gwen's father's pillow, trying his best not to disturb either father or daughter. He stepped back to where Marayna was standing and held out his hand towards the sleeping figures, "_Rum__fornimest adl fram guman__,_" he whispered, his eyes flashing golden in the night. Marayna tugged his hand, pulling him back outside as Tom began to stir in his sleep. They watched though the window as Gwen woke to her father's movements and threw herself at him when she noticed he was well again, the faint blue veins already starting to fade.

They glanced at each other, smiling at how their magic had saved a man's life.

~8~

The next morning Gwen was practically skipping around Morgana's room as she straightened up, the smile on her face as radiant as the sun.

"How's your father?" Merlin asked, sticking his head into the room. She spun around to see Marayna stick her head in under her brother as well.

"Feeling better?" Marayna added.

"Yeah," she replied, her smile growing even more if it were possible, "It's incredible! It's a miracle."

Merlin and Marayna glanced at each other, smiling secretly, something that didn't go unnoticed by Gwen, "His skin's clear and back to normal?" Merlin turned to face her again.

"Yes," she answered slowly, eyeing them.

"Wonderful," Marayna replied, moving to leave when Gwen called out again.

"You don't seem surprised," she commented.

"Oh, no, no, we are," Merlin said.

"It IS a miracle, isn't it?" Marayna confirmed.

"But how did you know he was well?" she shook her head, something was going on with those two.

"Because you're smiling?" Merlin ventured.

"It's really weird because I haven't told anyone, but_ you_ know," Gwen commented, "How could you know?"

Merlin and Marayna looked at each other again, before dropping their heads with a sigh and making their way into the room, "I suppose, since you've worked that out," Marayna started, "We could probably say…"

Gwen looked at them expectantly, her face reflecting the seriousness she thought the moment held, "We're psychic," Merlin smiled.

"No you're not," Gwen laughed, shaking her head at their antics.

"We are though," Marayna laughed as well, happy that her friend was happy.

Ooh that was strange, having a friend, well, having a friend who was a woman. She'd had a few male friends, some she probably shouldn't be friends with given how others saw them (but what did she care about the standards of others?) and...she'd never really had a true, female friend before, unless she counted her mother, who truly was her best friend ever...apart from Merlin. But Gwen was nice and she was sweet and...she was a good, kind, and understanding person.

"Alright," Gwen gave them a look, "What am I thinking?"

"That we're not psychic," Merlin answered.

Gwen laughed heartily, "You're strange," she started, before quickly looking between the two, worried, "Oh, I don't mean that in a nasty way. You're just...funny."

"We're pleased for you," Merlin replied after a moment of smiles. Marayna nodded and turned to leave with Merlin when Gwen spoke one more time.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"What for?" Merlin asked, turning to face her.

"Dunno," she shrugged, "Just...for asking."

"You're our friend Gwen," Marayna smiled, "Friends don't like to see each other so upset," she smiled, reaching out to squeeze the girl's hand for a moment.

"Well," Merlin spoke up, "We have to get on," Gwen nodded and smiled as she watched her friends leave the room.

~8~

Unfortunately, all the happiness that had infected anyone who spoke to Gwen that day, didn't last long. Word of Tom's recovery spread fast through the kingdom...and Arthur was sent to investigate how the man had miraculously gotten so well again, and had found the poultice Merlin had created. The next thing anyone knew, Gwen had been arrested for sorcery!

Merlin and Marayna had just entered one of the halls with Gaius when Arthur walked past them, with two guards pulling a frantic Gwen behind them. They made a move to help her, when Gaius grabbed them and dragged them back to his chambers, "What have you done?" Gaius demanded, just KNOWING it had been the two of them getting into trouble once more.

"What?" Merlin shook his head, still confused about what was going on.

"I _warned_ you," he half-shouted, "Oh, I understand you thought you were doing good..."

"It's not like we could just sit there and watch her father die when we knew we could help him!" Marayna defended.

"Didn't you think it might have been suspicious, the curing of _one_ man?" he held up one finger to emphasize his point, had there been an outbreak of cure...well, even with it being suspicious it would be less so than just ONE person out of hundreds recovering, and to recover so suddenly? Did they not think of that?!

"Then all we have to do is…" Merlin trailed, trying to come up with something, "We'll cure everyone. No one will ever have to know it was magic."

"It's too late!" Gaius exclaimed, "Everyone thinks Gwen is a sorceress. They think she_ caused_ the disease!"

"But she didn't!" Marayna shouted.

"And how are you going to prove that?" Gaius countered, disappointment shining in his eyes.

Marayna quickly turned, grabbed Merlin's hand, and dragged him out of the room. They fled down the hall, coming to a stop just outside the Great Hall, needing to know what was going on. The doors were shut, they couldn't enter, but they could still hear what was being said.

Marayna could feel tears coming to her eyes as she listened to Gwen begging for her life, proclaiming her innocence while Uther turned a deaf ear. Gwen was dragged out of the room, the people within dispersing. Merlin and Marayna could just barely see Morgana approaching the king to plead her maidservant, no, her _friend's_ innocence, before the doors shut and they were locked out again. They could hear Morgana defending Gwen, arguing with the King._ Arthur_ even tried to talk some sense into his father.

But it was to no avail.

Marayna let out a strangled cry and buried herself against her brother's chest as he hugged her, Uther had just ordered Gwen to be burned rather than beheaded.

A moment later Morgana stormed out of the room, tears in her eyes. She was just about to pass them when Merlin reached out on instinct of seeing someone upset and took Morgana's hand in his own. She paused, turning to face him, a sorrowful expression on her face. He smiled softly and squeezed her hand, the unspoken promise that everything would be alright lingering between them. Morgana seemed to sense it and smiled in reply before quickly rushing off down the halls towards the dungeons to speak with Gwen.

~8~

"We were just trying to help Gwen," Marayna spoke brokenly as she and Merlin sat in Gaius's chambers, "We just...wanted to help, to do something good with magic."

"I thought we were saving a life and it seemed so simple," Merlin admitted.

"An easy solution is like a light in a storm," Gaius spoke wisely, "Rush forward at your peril for it may not always lead you to a safe harbor."

"We see that _now_," Marayna muttered, wiping a tear from her eye.

"How many times have I warned you of the responsibilities of practicing magic?" Gaius mused solemnly.

"I have to see her," Merlin stood, Marayna nodded and stood as well, following her brother out of the room and towards the dungeons.

~8~

Marayna shuddered as she looked around the dungeon, it was so dark and damp, she couldn't imagine what it must be like for Gwen to be held there. Merlin had told her before, of how he had been locked in the prison for taunting and fighting Arthur, but that was all a light charge compared to what Gwen was there for. Gwen had done _nothing_ wrong, absolutely nothing! She was an innocent person and had no business being down there and charged with death for a magic she didn't possess. If anything, it should be she and Merlin stuck in that cell, but, she realized, if there were there, then no one would be around to free Gwen and stop the plague.

They were just passing the guards when Marayna whispered, "_Na híeran._"

'_Thank you,_' she heard Merlin speak, '_I didn't even think of that._'

She shrugged, '_No one should hear what we're about to tell her._'

Merlin should have been confused by his sister's words, but he knew what she meant. They _had_ to tell Gwen the truth. She deserved to know whose fault it was that she was there. He only hoped she wouldn't hate them for getting her in this predicament and that...that she'd understand and not...not subject them to Uther if they managed to clear her name.

They rushed forwards as her cell came into view and wrapped their hands around the bars as they stood before it, "Gwen," Marayna whispered. It wasn't that there was any other prisoner down there to hear them, it was just Gwen, but...the girl was laying down and she wasn't sure if she was asleep or not. If she was there was no point in waking her.

Luckily, Gwen was not asleep and quickly rolled to her feet, managing a smile at her friends standing before her cell, "Thank you," she murmured, stunning them. That was not the welcome they were expecting to hear.

"What for?" Merlin asked.

"Coming to see me," she shrugged.

"We're sorry," Marayna spoke, tears coming to her eyes again.

"It's not your fault. It's alright, don't worry about me. There's no point in crying about it," she looked at them, wide-eyed, "I mean, I mean I'm not saying you were going to cry about me. Obviously I don't think that. I just…"

"We're so sorry Gwen," Merlin repeated after his sister, tears in his eyes now too, "This is all our fault."

"Like I said, it's not your fault. I…"

"It _is_ though," Marayna whispered quietly.

Gwen looked at them, about to tell her once more that it wasn't...when she caught the tortured look in the girl's eyes, the guilt in Merlin's...and then she understood.

She gasped and stared at them, "_You_ cured my father? The two of you?" she looked between them, "You practice magic?" she said the last part so quietly they could barely hear her, glancing down the hall towards the guards.

"You can speak as loudly as you want," Merlin tried to smile, "The guards won't hear us."

"You know," Marayna added with a small shrug, "Magic and all."

"You _really_ practice magic?" she asked, just a bit frightened, she had heard all the stories about sorcerers and what they did to people, how cruel they were, how evil, how black their hearts...

"We don't really have to practice," Marayna responded, "We didn't exactly have a choice in it."

"We were...we were born like this Gwen," Merlin explained, "It just comes naturally to us."

"We would _never_ hurt you Gwen. Not ever."

"We're so sorry this happened to you, we just…"

"Thank you," Gwen cut them off, smiling at them through her tears.

Though their ramblings she was reminded...they were anything but cruel or evil or black hearted. Look at them, standing there, stuttering away, rambling, frantic over what SHE thought of them. And for what? For saving someone's life? For saving the life of her father? The only person she still had in her life since her mother had passed and her brother practically ran away? They had been trying to END the sickness, they hadn't caused it. They were just...trying to help and...to do that, well, she KNEW that was how they naturally were, there was just...no way that Merlin and Marayna could be as evil as Uther claimed all sorcerers were.

Uther, she knew, had been wrong in the past, and now...now she firmly believed he was wrong in this as well.

All magic couldn't be evil of people like Merlin and Marayna possessed it, if they'd been BORN with it.

"You saved my father," she continued, touched. In Camelot, the punishment for magic...she was well aware (all too aware now) of exactly what they'd risked in helping her, "You risked yourselves to save him, to help him. You're...amazing. And you've done nothing wrong."

"But Gwen," Merlin started, but was unable to continue.

"You're going to pay for _our_ crimes," Marayna finished.

"What you did," Gwen shook her head, starting to laugh a bit through her tears, "It wasn't a crime, you _saved someone's life_. You gave me my father back," they were silent for a moment as the seriousness of the situation caught up to them, "Please, one thing, you don't need to but…"

"What?" Merlin asked.

"Yes, we'll do anything," Marayna added.

"Remember me."

They frowned, "You're _not_ going to die," Merlin stated firmly, so firmly in fact that Gwen almost believed him.

"We _won't_ let this happen," Marayna promised before they both turned and quickly left.

They had to fix this.

~8~

"What are we going to do?" Marayna asked Merlin as they left the dungeons.

"Gaius went to meet Uther, probably to talk about Gwen," Merlin muttered, "I have to tell Uther that I did it."

"Merlin you can't!" Marayna shouted, grabbing his arm and stopping him, spinning him to face her in the middle of the empty hall, "If you do that, I'll tell him I helped."

"But _I_ was the one who did it," he reasoned.

"If you hadn't, I would have," Marayna countered, "If we go to Uther, he'll have us _both_ executed and then who will help Gwen?"

_That_ seemed to get through to Merlin a bit. He nodded, squeezing her hand and running off with her back to Gaius's chambers, maybe there was something in the magic book that could help them find the source of the enchantment and cancel it. They had only just made it to their room when Gaius entered, grabbed a bag, threw it at them, and ordered them to follow him. He was going to the source, the water supply.

~8~

Merlin lit a torch as he and Marayna entered the caverns below the castle with Gaius taking the lead. It was a bit dark and creepy, but neither of them had much of a problem. They hadn't been scared of the dark since they were five and with their magic, there wasn't much that could hurt them.

They walked for a bit till Gaius came to a stop before a small wall with water behind it, "The water from here supplies the whole town," he explained, handing Marayna a bottle, "Take a sample."

Marayna stepped forward and dipped the bottle into the water to take the sample. She stepped back and handed it to Gaius who held it up, trying to see more of it in the torchlight but it wasn't working well, "Best take it back and examine it."

No sooner had he spoke, a giant creature sprung up from the water before them. It was only for a moment but it was enough for them to realize it _wasn't_ a normal, natural creature, it was one created from sorcery.

"What the _hell_ was that?!" Marayna exclaimed as the creature dove back into the water.

~8~

They had rushed back to Gaius's chambers and immediately set to work searching his books for whatever that creature was.

"There!" Gaius proclaimed, pointing to a page as Merlin and Marayna came over, "It was an Afanc."

"An…a what?" Merlin asked, staring at the picture in the book. It looked like the creature he had seen, though he couldn't be certain, it happened so quickly.

"A beast born of clay and conjured up only by the most powerful sorcerer," Gaius read before looking at them, "Now we have to find a way to defeat it. But where?"

Gaius looked up at his vast collection of books, as Merlin and Marayna looked at each other, "That could take days," Marayna complained.

"Gwen'll be dead by then," Merlin added.

"Have you got a better idea?" Gaius asked, glancing back at them.

The siblings blinked and looked at each other, before grinning and taking off out of the room.

Indeed they did have a better idea.

~8~

Merlin and Marayna quickly made their way to the Dragon's prison, only to find it empty, "Hello?" Merlin called.

"Hello," a voice called from the darkness, before a gust hit them and the Dragon appeared, flying up from somewhere to perch on the rock in the middle of the cavern, "The great warlock and witch return, as I knew you would."

"How do you defeat an Afanc?" Marayna got right to the point.

"An Afanc," the Dragon mused, "A creature of clay and magic..."

"Will you help us?" Merlin cut in, quite annoyed at the Dragon's less than straight answers and odd ramblings. They knew what an Afanc was already, they needed to know how to stop it!

"Trust the elements that are at your command," the Dragon answered.

"Elements?" Marayna questioned, "How is that supposed to help us?!"

"You cannot do this alone," the Dragon continued, ignoring her, before looking at Merlin, "You are but one side of a coin, Arthur is the other."

"We don't understand, just tell us what is it we have to do?" Merlin spat back. The Dragon didn't seem to like his tone as he spread his wings and began to ascend, "No! Please, help us!"

"I have," was all the Dragon said as he flew off.

"Oh, yeah, right, thanks!" Marayna yelled back, "That helped SO much!" she huffed and crossed her arms, '_Bloody Dragon,_' she whispered to Merlin, '_Is he always like that?_'

'_Worse,_' Merlin remarked.

'_Well THAT makes sense,_' she grumbled, running a frustrated hand through her hair, '_He can tell me, in NO uncertain terms, that I'm supposed to marry a clotpole but he CAN'T tell us how to get rid of a clay monster?!_'

Merlin just laughed at her irritation, taking her hand and pulling her off before she started shouting obscenities at the 'overgrown lizard.'

~8~

Merlin and Marayna quickly skimmed through Gaius's books, taking turns pulling them off of the shelves and stacking them on the desks and benches before them. They were trying to find anything at all on the elements but were having no such luck. A moment after Marayna had slammed yet another useless book shut the physician himself entered.

"What're you doing?" he asked, looking down at the number of books lying haphazardly around the room. This would take forever to sort through...again. Arthur had already set them all out of order.

"Looking for a book," Merlin answered, shutting one and grabbing another.

"Going to tell me which one?" Gaius frowned as Merlin pulled a book from a pile, causing the others to fall over.

"We need to know about the elements," Marayna spoke this time.

"The elements?" Gaius shook his head, not knowing where they were going with this.

"Yes, which one would we find them in?" Merlin looked up at him, a book open in his lap.

"Most often the base elements are at the heart of the scientific process," Gaius recited.

"Yes, uncle, as much as I would just LOVE a lecture on science, I'd really rather just work out how the elements are meant to help us kill the Afanc," Marayna remarked dryly, looking up from the book in her hands as well. She knew she was probably being a bit snide and rude to him, but she tended to get that way when she was frustrated and in a rush

"Well an Afanc is a creature made from earth and water, that's two of the four base elements," their uncle explained, not at all perturbed by her remark.

"What about the other two?" Merlin questioned, getting excited, this could work after all!

"Perhaps they would destroy it?" Gaius replied, catching onto their train of thought, "With fire, wind and fire. How did you find this out?"

"Uh, we just knew, you know?" Merlin lied, glancing at his sister for help.

"Part of our powers," she added.

"And what else do your 'powers' tell you?" Gaius gave them a look that told them he didn't believe a word of it.

"That Merlin is only one side of a coin," Marayna began, fiddling with the edge of the page she had been about to read.

"The brighter side obviously," Merlin muttered.

"And who's the other side?" Gaius asked, curious.

"Arthur," Marayna snorted.

Merlin glared at her, "If I'm one side and he's the other, you're the inscription on both sides."

Marayna was about to stick out her tongue at him when Morgana suddenly burst into the room, "They're bringing forward the execution!" she cried as she rushed over to them. Merlin immediately stood and took a few steps towards her, "We have to prove Gwen's innocence."

"We tried," Gaius said sadly.

"Please just tell me what I can do to help," Morgana begged, her eyes locking with Merlin.

Marayna looked between the two when neither made a move to speak. She would have smiled at the scene had the times not been so serious, "We'll need Arthur's help."

"Arthur?" Morgana asked, snapping out of her thoughts and looking over at the girl.

"There's a monster, an Afanc in the water supply," Merlin explained, "That's what's causing the plague."

"Well, we must tell Uther," Morgana started, when Gaius cut her off.

"The Afanc's a creature forged by magic," he informed her grimly, "Telling Uther wouldn't save Gwen, he'd just blame her for conjuring it."

"So what are we to do?" Morgana nodded, understanding their logic.

"Destroy it of course," Marayna answered with a smirk, "With the plague over some sort of sense might just stand a chance of actually making it through Uther's thick skull."

"Aya!" Merlin gaped at what she'd said.

"Marayna!" Gaius chastised, frowning at his niece for speaking such a thing, especially before Morgana.

"What?" Marayna looked at them, "It's not like he's standing right here to be insulted!"

"That is still your king," Gaius reminded her.

"Not my king," she countered back, "I am NOT a subject of Camelot and, until he conquers Ealdor, he's not my king. _Cendred_ isn't even my king. He's A king. And I will not respect any king that doesn't care for his subjects..."

"Marayna," Gaius cut in again, "Uther may be many things, but to claim he does not care..."

"Mention magic around him then," she challenged, "Go on, just _mention_ it and see how reasonable he becomes. He cares about his _kingdom_, he doesn't care about the people in it if he's willing to become so blinded by a hatred of magic that he'll slaughter his innocent subjects."

Morgana merely nodded along, a soft smile on her face to find someone else openly thought the king rather stubborn and as biased as she did, "Which is why we need Arthur," she realized, "Uther will listen to his son more than any other, and if Arthur can defeat the Afanc..."

"His head will grow exponentially to realize he's also saved the kingdom," Marayna let out a long suffering sigh, "But he's the only one who won't naturally assume it's Gwen and think to kill her first to end the enchantment," she frowned, "He doesn't seem the sort to disobey his father though..."

Morgana looked at Marayna intently, when an idea struck her, "Leave that to us," she stated before grabbing the girl's hand and pulling her out of the room, Merlin and Gaius standing there stunned at the conversation that had just happened before them.

~8~

Morgana quickly stopped outside Arthur's room, "Stay here till I signal you," she said before casually entering the chambers. Marayna stepped up and peered a bit around the door frame so she could see Morgana and hear what was being said.

"Are you alright?" Arthur asked when he saw Morgana. He glanced around his room which drew Marayna's attention to how messy it was, making her roll her eyes at it. Honestly, was the man_ that_ incapable of cleaning up after himself? "Sorry, about all this, my servants haven't been in today."

Ok, obviously he was.

"Poor Merlin," Morgana muttered, "Poor Rayna."

"Yeah," Arthur nodded, not knowing what else to say.

"I heard them speaking on the way to Gaius's before, they were about to give themselves up for Gwen," she remarked offhandedly, startling Marayna as she and Merlin hadn't seen her. She hadn't heard everything they were saying, they were speaking far to quietly, but she could make out the important details that they were going to go to Uther and claim they were the ones who cured Tom.

"You're joking?" he gave her an incredulous look, how foolish could his servants be?! Lying to the king about magic could get them executed as easily as actually practicing it! And then where would he be? He'd have to train new servants and his room would be in even worse condition.

Morgana looked at him from under her eye lashes, "To be willing to give up their lives for Gwen's…I certainly can't imagine anyone, any man, loving me so much."

"No, I certainly can't imagine that either," he muttered, wondering where it was she was going with this.

"That's because you're not like Merlin," Morgana stated, quite serious all of a sudden, Arthur's brow furrowed as he detected some other emotion playing behind her words, "He's a lover."

"Yes," he began slowly as Morgana turned to glance around the room, her gaze lingering over her shoulder for a moment, "Maybe that's because I haven't found the right person to…love."

Just as he finished speaking, Marayna walked into the room. Morgana chanced a look at the prince, only to smirk slightly to herself as she saw his attention fully focused on the other girl. Whatever it was he might feel for the girl, irritation, fondness, what have you...he certainly was intrigued by her. She turned to face the girl in question, "Ah Rayna," she smiled, as though she hadn't known the girl was right there, "Doesn't it seem as though the age of gallantry is dead?"

Marayna glanced at her in confusion for just a moment before she nodded slowly, picking up on what the noblewoman was planning, "Yes," she answered, sighing, "It seems like, these days, any old fool can put on armor and call himself a hero," she glanced at Arthur from the corner of her eye, "Yet all of them would turn their backs and flee the moment a chance came to prove themselves and do what's right."

Arthur nearly laughed at the situation, the girl was either spending far too much time with Morgana, or an extremely fast learner, "What do you want me to do?" he asked, knowing they were trying to bait him.

Morgana looked at Marayna, indicating she was to explain. Marayna took a breath, "We know what's caused the plague," she answered, "There's an Afanc in the water supply."

"And I am to…" Arthur trailed, leaving the question open.

"You're supposed to invite it over to a lovely dinner," she deadpanned before rolling her eyes, "_Kill it_ obviously. You've got a sword," she gestured vaguely at him, "It's all sharp and pointy, I know it is, Merlin nearly beheaded himself trying to clean it. So USE it."

"Please, Arthur," Morgana spoke up, "We don't have much time."

Arthur nodded, hearing the hidden words in Morgana's plea, _Gwen_ didn't have much time. He liked the girl, he had known her as long as he had known Morgana, she was like another sister to him. And he knew her well enough to know this was not her doing. He hadn't _once_ believed she was a sorceress and this was his chance to clear her name.

He picked up his sword and strode out of the room, Morgana and Marayna following after him, both women sharing a secret smile.

~8~

They ran across the courtyard, seeing Merlin waiting for them to lead the way down to the tunnels, having heard a metal call from Marayna to get down there, that Arthur was coming. Marayna rushed ahead to join her brother's lead. They paused at the opening of the staircase that would lead to the monster, lighting some torches and making their way down to the dark depths below.

"You better be right about this," Arthur muttered as he glanced at his two servants. As soon as he spoke a low grumbling (that sounded a bit too much like a growl for comfort) echoed through the cavern.

Morgana let out a surprised gasp and reached out, only to have Merlin's hand take hers in comfort. She glanced at him, smiling in relief and thanks.

The gasp seemed to remind Arthur that it wasn't just him and Merlin exploring the shadows as he glanced back at Morgana and Marayna, "You should stay here," he tried to sound authoritative, suggesting it wasn't a request at all but an order, "Both of you."

"I'm coming with you," Morgana argued, her grip on Merlin's hand tightening slightly, though Arthur couldn't quite see thanks to the fabric of Morgana's dress fluttering over their entwined hands. Marayna simply nodded in agreement, trying desperately not to smile at the hands she had glimpsed.

"No."

"Scared we'll show you up?" Marayna challenged.

"Father will slam us both in chains if he knew I'd endangered you," he said, more towards Morgana. He knew his father wouldn't care one way or another if Marayna was hurt, but he knew he'd never forgive himself if anything happened to her either.

"Good thing he doesn't know about it then," Morgana replied.

"I'm telling you Morgana, I'm telling you both, turn back," he nearly shouted, glancing between the two, "You could get hurt!"

"Oh and YOU will most certainly get hurt," Marayna took a few steps towards him, stepping right up to him, her chest nearly touching his...before pushing past him, being sure to nudge his shoulder a bit, "If you try to stop me going anywhere my brother goes."

Morgana smirked at the girl before walking past Arthur as well, Merlin following along behind her as she had yet to let go of his hand, "How are we going to find it?" she asked after a moment, looking around.

"Just like we did…" Merlin answered, "Or it finds us."

"Stop!" Arthur suddenly shouted.

"What?" Marayna spun around, following Arthur's gaze towards the shadows that lined the walls.

"It's just a shadow," he replied, still staring at the wall warily, "Spread out."

They entered the chamber that Gaius had led them to before and began walking in different directions, Morgana letting go of Merlin's hand as she went to inspect something to the side. She had just picked up what appeared to be the remnants of an egg when she heard Arthur cry out and the swish of a sword cutting air reached her.

"What is it?" Morgana asked, rushing to where he stood.

"Are you alright?" Marayna added.

"Did you see it?" Merlin continued

Arthur nearly rolled his eyes at them, "Yes."

"What did it look like?" Merlin looked around frantically, trying to find it.

"It's quick," was all Arthur could get out before Morgana screamed, the Afanc appearing right in front of her.

Marayna didn't even think as she immediately tackled the woman to the side, succeeding in pushing her out of the way before the monster could attack her.

Arthur lunged at it, but missed as it disappeared once again, "Where is it?" he spun around in an effort to spot it. Marayna glanced around as well as she helped pull Morgana to her feet, muttering apologies under her breath which Morgana shrugged off, no need to apologize for saving her life.

"I think it's gone this way," Merlin called from behind them.

Arthur quickly made his way down the tunnel Merlin was standing by, waving his torch to try and get enough light to spot the monster. He didn't have to wait long as the Afanc made itself noticed. It came towards them slowly at first and Arthur slashed at it with his sword, but the monster knocked him back. Marayna grabbed the torch from Morgana and swiped at it, buying them some time for Merlin to help Arthur back to his feet. Arthur took the torch from her and went after the beast, distracting it from the others until he realized that, while his plan had worked, he had also backed himself into a wall. He only had a torch in his hand at this point, and it seemed as though the fire wasn't doing anything to the monster as it rose up, raising its giant claw to swipe at him.

"Arthur!" Marayna gasped as Merlin rushed up next to her.

"Use the torch!" Merlin yelled, before looking over to see his sister shielding Morgana, keeping the woman's view of the monster hidden. She quickly nodded at her brother and he knew she was keeping Morgana from seeing his magic, "_Lyft sy be in bǽlwylm ac forhienan__se wiðere_!" he chanted quietly, holding out his hand at Arthur and the monster.

Arthur held up the torch, sticking it out as though he were holding an enemy at sword point...when suddenly the flames began to grow as wind blew around him. He averted his eyes as the fire grew quite bright and, the next thing he knew...the beast was destroyed.

Arthur looked around at everyone, Marayna backing away from Morgana, allowing her to see everything once more, "Is it gone?" the king's ward asked, a bit shaken from the sight of the horrid creature.

Marayna looked at her brother and then the prince before turning to the woman, "I think so."

A split second later Morgana was standing straight up, a determined look in her eyes, "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's tell Uther that the plague is over!"

And with that, she marched back towards the entrance, three very amused people following behind her.

~8~

As soon as Uther had been told of the monster and its destruction, he immediately released Gwen from prison. Gaius took the egg that Morgana had held onto and, with its help, was able to devise a cure for the rest of the people who had been infected by the water. At the prison Gwen was being hugged by her father as Morgana, Merlin, and Marayna stood by and watched, smiles on their faces. She turned to face Morgana, tears of happiness in her eyes, "Thank you!"

"Don't thank me," Morgana said modestly, "It was more Merlin and Marayna."

Merlin blushed a bit at the beam Morgana was directing at him and Marayna couldn't help but smile, her brother was just too cute.

"Really?" Gwen looked at the two. A knowing smile made its way onto her face as she pieced together what they had done, used magic to not only save her but the rest of the ill people.

"They're the real heroes here," Morgana confirmed.

"I don't know what to say..."

"We didn't do anything," Merlin insisted, averting his gaze from Morgana's before his face became completely red.

"I'm grateful to you all," Tom interrupted, "Come on, Gwen."

"Just a minute," she smiled, nodding at her father to wait for her a little ways away. She waited till Morgana went to speak with him, leaving her alone with Merlin and Marayna before jumping at them and embracing them both in a hug, "I wanted you both to know...your secret's safe with me."

They smiled into the hug, breathing out a sigh of relief at that and squeezing her just a bit tighter before pulling back to speak with her, "Thank you," Marayna replied.

"I'll keep your magic and everything a secret," she swore.

"Thank yo…everything?" Merlin asked, staring at her confusedly.

Gwen nodded, "You and Morgana."

"Me and Morgana what?" he repeated, even more confused while Marayna smirked as she watched her brother squirm and become more flustered.

"You like each other," Gwen stated as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"No!" Merlin nearly shouted, before remembering Morgana was only a few feet away and quieting himself, "No, we don't."

Gwen nodded slightly, "Then why were you holding her hand just now?" before Merlin could respond Gwen walked past him to join her father and Morgana, departing the prison a moment later.

Merlin turned to his sister, "Was I _really_ holding her hand?"

Marayna just laughed, giving him a nod and a smirk before she left as well. She found it rather amusing that he hadn't noticed.

~8~

That night, as various books magically sorted themselves on the shelves, Merlin and Marayna sat in Gaius's chambers, enjoying…or trying to enjoy…a quiet dinner with their uncle after a job well done. They glanced down at their soup, staring at the broth as though it contained some sort of disease, which it very recently had.

"The water's fine now, there's no need to worry," Gaius stated, taking a bite of his soup, "This is the work of a very powerful sorceress," he warned them, having recognized a mark on the egg that Morgana had found, a symbol used by the sorceress Nimueh, a dreaded foe of Camelot apparently, "I only hope you didn't come to her attention."

"Doubtful," Marayna snorted and Gaius just gave her a questioning look.

"Well, no one else seems to appreciate our skills," Merlin clarified.

"It would be nice to just...be seen for who and what we are," Marayna mumbled quietly, "You know, without anyone trying to kill us for it."

"Like Gwen does," Merlin added.

Gaius pursed his lips, he _still_ wasn't quite happy with them telling their secret like that. Gwen was a sweet girl, trustworthy of course, but this was his _family_. He would do anything to protect them and the more people who knew...the less safe they were. He knew, without a doubt, that their secret, their magic, was something he would take with him to the grave, nothing would ever make him betray them. But Gwen...she was kindhearted, less...hardened and prepared for what might come by ways of someone wanting a confession or information from her. He couldn't be certain that, under the most dire of circumstances, she wouldn't let loose the secret.

He sighed, what's done is done, "One day, you two, one day."

"One day, what?" Merlin looked up.

"One day, people won't believe what idiots you were," Gaius joked.

"Oh thanks uncle," Marayna replied sarcastically though with a bit of a laugh, "You make us feel so loved."

~8~

Unbeknownst to them, in a cave not too far from Camelot, the evil sorceress Nimueh was absolutely livid as she watched the three joking and laughing in her Scrying Pool.

"Merlin, Marayna…you will pay for this," she spat before splashing the water with her fist, distorting the image till it faded away.

A/N: Again, SO sorry the last chapter was so dreadfully late :( Apparently it was a widespread thing through all of FF, no one was able to update :( Believe me, I woke up at 6:30am to post...and was STILL waiting for the actual page to load at midnight :(

But anyway, onto the story lol :) I really felt like that moment with Gwen in the cell would have been the perfect time for Merlin to tell her he had magic in the show, so that she would know that he'd saved her father's life and that not all magic was evil, because I genuinely believe that she would have seen that despite being the one in the cell. I think he backed off from doing it because he had Gaius's voice in his head saying not to, but with his 'mouthy little sister' there...I think her voice would have been a bit louder than Gaius.

This will...definitely change things ;)

Na híeran - Do not hear

No real notes on reviews at the moment, darn glitches lol. I should note that, if anything like this happens again, where FF doesn't allow an update, please check Marayna's page on my tumblr (The Draconian Prophecies page) about 6 hours after the normal posting time, if the site isn't working by then or I wasn't able to get the chapter posted, I'll place it there ;) For the record, I tend to update FF around 6:30-6:50am (for me at least, EST), every single day (which means I drag myself out of bed on weekends just to post before collapsing back in bed lol). So if there's ever a missing post...assume I'm either suffering from the plague or that the site is glitching (though it'll probably be the latter, I'd still drag myself out of bed, coughing up a lung, just to update for you all lol) ;)


	4. Battle Wounds

Battle Wounds

Marayna looked over her shoulder as she made her way down the long, dark staircase that led to the belly of the castle, a torch held tightly in her hand. She hoped she had remembered the right way to the Dragon's cavern. The first time she had arrived had been on accident, trying to find her brother, the second was with Merlin leading her. And if she ended up getting lost in catacombs or something she was going to rip her hair out. She was rather terrible with directions. It wasn't till she felt a cold rush of air that she realized she had indeed reached the cavern.

"Hello?" she called, not seeing the dragon there. Honestly, where was he even able to go? He was chained to a rock!

"Ah," she head a voice reply as the Dragon flew from below and landed before her on the small rock in the middle of the cavern, "The young witch returns, though quite unexpectedly. Why have you come?"

"You don't know?" she asked him, raising an eyebrow, he always seemed to know everything.

The Dragon laughed, "Unlike the Lady Morgana, I cannot always see the future."

Marayna's eyes widened, "Morgana can see the future?!"

He nodded, "Though she is just beginning to come into her powers."

They were silent for a moment, "The future," she whispered softly, "That is what I wish to speak to you on."

"Yes?"

She took a breath, "You said Merlin and Arthur were two sides of a coin…"

"I did."

"I understand," and she truly did. They seemed to balance each other out, sword and sorcery as it were, "And I understand how I _may_ be the inscription that effects both their destinies…but I don't understand how I could possibly be Arthur's _wife_!"

THAT was really bothering her. For more reasons than one, there was just...so much wrong with that future. She knew the likelihood of her getting married was slim, especially among her village, even less when she went to her Aunt Elaine. Her Aunt had been the youngest of three with her mother as the eldest, her uncle, Gaius, as the middle and only boy. The younger siblings had gone on to do so much while their mother remained back in Ealdor to care for their parents, hers and Merlin's grandparents, and their home. It didn't bother their mother, that she hadn't gone on to become a physician or some other learned woman, like their aunt, who had married a very minor noble in a neighboring kingdom, their mother loved her home and hadn't wanted to leave.

But it had left HER knowing that prospects of any sort of marriage were almost nonexistent. Yes, she would have loved to have found a man who loved her and who she loved back. Yes, she would love to start a family of her own. But she had accepted since she was very small that it wasn't going to happen. She'd come to terms with it, and now...to hear the Dragon tell her she WAS going to marry (even it if was Arthur) well...that was just a cruel prophecy, to give her hope like that. Because she knew there was just too much in the way of her and Arthur wedding. Uther, her magic, Uther, her station, Uther, her parents marital status, and did she mention Uther?

To her...it was impossible to marry Arthur, even more so because he was just...he wasn't what she thought of in a husband. He was arrogant and rude and...well, he did have SOME redeeming qualities, yes, he genuinely DID care about his people in a way his father didn't, but...she didn't know him, he hadn't made the best impression on her. Not that she could really say she hadn't done the same to him, speaking of incest and then punching him...but still. She just...couldn't picture it, her and Arthur, and she just wanted to say that, that it was impossible. She wanted the Dragon to take back whatever prophecy he thought there was and tell her it was a joke.

It had to be, because she couldn't marry anyone...she just...wouldn't be a proper wife for them.

"Not only am I a servant, but a peasant, _and_ a sorceress!"

"Witch," the Dragon corrected.

"What?"

"You, young one, are a witch, not a sorceress."

She frowned, "What's the difference? They both use magic."

"Ahh but a witch, as with a warlock, are born with the gift of magic, the talent for it, that need only be nurtured and practiced, many of the druids are similar. A sorcerer and sorceress are those who learn to use magic, who study it and, through incantation and practice, become magic users."

Marayna blinked, "So...anyone can use magic?"

"Not always," the Dragon warned, "But with time, many can become proficient in it."

She shook her head, realizing she was getting off topic, "The point was...Uther would never allow a marriage like that, and even if he somehow agreed to let Arthur marry a servant, there's_ no_ way he would allow his only son and heir to the most anti-magic throne to marry a witch!"

The Dragon chuckled, "Who said Uther would be there to disagree?"

Her eyes widened, "Uther will die?"

"We all shall die at some point, young witch," he mused, "Everything, all things, must die. Even I cannot avoid that fate," he looked down at the girl who seemed a bit lost in sad thoughts, "I did not say Uther will die before you marry, the future is always changing. However, you and Arthur could never be free until his reign has ended and Arthur's begins."

"But...if Uther's reign ends, that means he's dead, doesn't it? And the future couldn't change _that_ drastically if my destiny is to marry Arthur, could it?" she asked, looking up only to see the Dragon spreading his wings about to fly away, "No! You didn't answer the question!"

That didn't stop the dragon from flying off and leaving her alone though.

"Erg!" Marayna groaned, nearly throwing down her torch.

He was really no help at all. He gave an inch of clear help...and then an entire mile of cryptic replies.

~8~

"Sorry I'm late," Marayna mumbled as she dropped to her knees to join her brother in scrubbing Arthur's floor.

He smiled, shrugging it off, "S'ok, how'd it go?"

She scowled, viciously brushing the floor as though it had wronged her, "No. Help. At. All."

"What else did you expect?" he smirked, "This is the_ Dragon_ we're talking about, when is he ever a help?"

She shook her head, "The only thing he told me, besides the fact that I'm supposed to marry Prince Prat, is that Uther may or may not be around to give his consent to his son marrying a witch."

"Makes sense," he mumbled, "No offense, but I don't think Uther would allow anyone with even a bit of magic in them to go near Arthur."

She looked up at her brother who looked at her seriously for only a moment...before the both burst out in laughter. If only Uther knew…

"What's this?" a voice said behind them, they looked over their shoulders to see Arthur leaning against the doorframe, "Are the chores too easy for you?"

Marayna opened her mouth to speak when Merlin firmly clasped his hand over it, "Not at all sire," he gave a meaningful look to his sister, _begging_ her not to say anything that would undoubtedly double their work load.

"Oh yes," she rolled her eyes, pulling Merlin's hand off her mouth, "It's back-breaking, truly it is."

Merlin groaned and hid his face behind his hand, here we go…

But unlike the response he was expecting from Arthur, namely him rambling off a list of endless, meaningless, yet trying chores for them to do before nightfall just because of his sister's minor mock, the prince simply laughed and shook his head. Merlin let out a breath of relief at that, praying that it meant Arthur was getting used to his sister's humor. He hoped so, because half the time HE didn't even get his sister's humor, it was...quite the mix of sarcasm and offense.

Arthur glanced down at his servants, resting on their knees and staring up at him, and his eyes narrowed just a bit, "Who gave you those flowers?" he asked, a bit of humor in his voice as he eyed the small pink impatient by Marayna's ear, "Your marketplace love?"

"No actually," she smiled, taking the flower out of her hair and looking at it with a fond smile, Merlin internally groaning, "Secret admirer this time."

"Secret…what?" Arthur blinked, his eyes bugging slightly.

"Oh yeah, I woke up to find this just outside our door with a beautiful poem attached to it, lovely really," she twirled the blossom in her hands, "I love poems."

Merlin sighed seeing Arthur's reaction, the man clearly believing her, so...not used to it then, "She's joking again sire," he replied, seeing Arthur doing his impression of a fish once more, "She picked it herself before, when we were collecting herbs for Gaius."

"Oh, yes," Arthur straightened, trying to ignore Marayna's musical laugh, "Of course. I knew that."

"Did you?" she asked casually, raising a brow as she stared at him. She couldn't help but laugh, she always seemed to be one step ahead of him. He'd made a valiant attempt to jest with her and she was certain that, when he finally learned how to handle her humor and teasing, he would be quite fun to exchange witty remarks with.

"Of course I did," he replied a bit smugly, crossing his arms once more, "It's my job as the Prince to know what is going on within the castle. I would know if anyone was giving you flowers."

"I see," she nodded, "Of course you would know the ins and outs of the castle," Arthur nodded as well, smirking down at her, "Then you also know that your father requested your presence for the mid-day meal?"

Arthur's eyes widened but a moment later he was calm again, "I _do_ know. Now, continue on with your chores, I shall expect my room to be spotless by the time I return," he turned and immediately left the room, though the siblings could hear him walking a bit faster than normal down the halls.

Merlin turned a questioning gaze to his sister, "I thought Uther was inspecting the guards at noon today?"

Marayna smirked, "He is."

"But Arthur's on his way to…" his eyes widened in realization and a smile made its way onto his face as well despite the situation, "Oh, Aya!"

She doubled over, grabbing her sides as she cried with laughter at the thought of Arthur's face when he realized, after rushing into the dining hall all flustered, that it was all for nothing, she could imagine a scowl would cross his face quite quickly and wondered if it would be possible to hear the shout of 'Marayna!' from there, "It's not my fault he's so easy to fool," she replied when she was able to breathe again.

Merlin chuckled a bit as well, "You do know he's going to double our work now, don't you?"

She nodded, "But wasn't it worth it?"

The look on his face told her it was. He glanced down at the half done floor, "Come on, let's try to get this finished before Arthur comes back. Maybe we can escape before that and he won't be able to find us for the day."

Marayna nodded in agreement and began to quickly scrub the floor with her brother.

~8~

Just as luck would have it, Arthur returned only moments before they had finished the room and had, in fact, doubled their work for the day. Marayna didn't think it fair that Arthur had doubled Merlin's work though, he wasn't the one baiting the prince, it should have just been her. Though she also knew her brother would have helped her if it had just been her so it wouldn't have really been 'double the work' at all. Which was why she found herself in Arthur's stables that night. She had told Merlin that she would take the last of his chores so he could get some rest. He always seemed to get more of the manual labor than she did so he was much more exhausted than she was by the end of the day. It was like Arthur didn't think her capable of lifting a shovel or hefting a sack or something. She grew up in Ealdor! It was nothing but manual labor and tending fields and other things.

Though, after mucking out Arthur's stables, grooming the horses, and picking out all the bruised apples (one of Arthur's more meaningless punishment tasks) from the barrel used to treat the horses, she was quite tired herself. She patted an older chestnut-colored horse with a long, black, frizzy mane, as she left the stables, securing the lock and making her way back towards the castle.

She was nearly at the edge of the rows of stables, one for Uther, one for Arthur, one for guests and other random horses to use, and a rather large one for the knights...when she saw a small glow coming from Uther's stables. Knowing that he king was asleep by then, Gaius had been sent to inspect his shoulder and give him a sleeping draught, she wondered who else could be in the king's stables at such an hour. As the rules went, only Uther could enter his stables (or Arthur or Morgana), his own servants could only enter in the presence of their king, and the only other man left to enter at will was his personal stable hand, a rather lovely old man, but she knew he'd gone home for the night, he'd waved at her as he passed on the way.

She debated whether or not to look into the matter, if she was caught in the king's stables, she would most likely be punished. But then again, if it was another servant, a newer one who didn't know the rules, she didn't want them to get into trouble either. Sighing, she turned and made her way to the stables. She paused though when she heard a rustling coming from within followed a moment later by a sharp crack and a frightened neigh. Her eyes widened as she realized whoever was in there was hurting one of the horses!

She quickly dropped the small bag she had been carrying and ran into the stables, but she didn't see anything at first, it was quite dark...and then she heard it, another crack and a pained neigh. She slowly walked towards it, seeing the glow of a lantern at the end of the row of horse stalls. She reached out and patted another horse that was leaning over its stall, trying to keep it calm as she walked. She leaned around the corner of the end stall and peered over its gate...only to see a beautiful, golden-colored mare with a stunning white mane jumping on its hind legs as it tried scurrying away from whoever was hurting her. As it passed her, she could see several scratches of red on its hide contrasting greatly with the horses coloring. It wasn't until the horse moved a bit more that she saw who it was that was hurting the poor horse.

"Urry!" she shouted, staring at the man who was glaring at the horse, holding a rather crude riding crop high in his hand, the edges frayed and looking like it was one intended more for true harm than discipline, the man looking like he was about to strike again, "What do you think you are _doing_?!" she quickly unlatched the stall and entered, rushing over to the horse to inspect it more closely. She had just reached out a hand to calm it when Urry grabbed her by that very wrist and yanked her back, pulling her right out of the stall.

She pulled her wrist from his bruising grip and glared at him, "How dare you!?" she continued, blocking the entrance to the stall as though expecting him to attempt to enter again, "This is Uther's stable and not even the knights are allowed here without him present. And striking one of his horses?! The king will have your head for this if I have anything to say about it."

She turned, about to storm out of the stables and run to the castle to alert the guards...when Urry grabbed her arm and twisted it behind her back. He held it so tightly that if she struggled, even the slightest bit, a shooting pain raced up her arm, "You won't have anything to say about it, not if I can help it," he growled into her ear, mocking her own threat, "As though Uther would believe the word of a servant over a knight. Didn't you learn with Valiant?"

She could practically hear the smirk in his voice, she jerked, trying to free herself but he twisted her arm even more.

"I suppose not," he muttered, pushing her forward, back down the row stalls, towards the entrance, "I shall have to_ teach_ you then."

Her eyes widened in fear as he shoved her against a wall. This could _not_ be happening. She had all the power in the world to stop him, yet she couldn't. If she used _any_ magic short of killing him, he would alert the king and not only would she be executed, but the king would link her and Merlin together and execute him as well and maybe even Gaius too!

Her thoughts were cut off when she felt a piece of cold metal clasp around her twisted arm. The next thing she knew, both her hands were chained to the sconce above her head. She felt the cold hands of Urry reach the nape of her neck, shoving her hair to the side before she heard the sound of fabric tearing. She swallowed hard, now half-dangling from a sconce, her back exposed to him, and she had no idea what he was going to do. She couldn't turn her head to look as her arms were secured rather tightly.

She flinched as she felt breathing on her neck, "No respect," Urry mumbled, "You have no _respect_ for the knights of Camelot. Make a fool out of me, will you?"

She held her breath, letting it out only when he moved away from her. So _that_ was what this was about? Because she had bested him in a challenge? It had been his own fault! If he hadn't been so arrogant he would have most certainly beaten her!

"Make a fool out of me, just like that horse," she could hear him spit, grimacing when she felt bits of it hit her back, "Throwing me! Refusing to move for me. Horrible horse to have, an _embarrassment_. I was doing Uther a favor breaking it."

It was then that she realized what he was about to do, a split second before the riding crop struck across her back. She winced in pain and bit her lip to keep from crying out. She would_ not_ give him the satisfaction of screaming like she knew he wanted. He was relentless in his attack, fiercely hitting her, mumbling curses at women and horses and any other thing that had ever crossed him. With each strike, she flinched, she could feel her eyes tearing as her skin split but she refused to let the tears fall. She didn't know how long he had been hitting her, or how she could remain conscious with all the blinding pain coursing through her back.

She was breathing heavy, shaking terribly, when Urry finally decided she'd had enough, "Stupid wench," he muttered, spitting at the ground by her feet before stalking out of the stables, leaving her dangling there still.

She held her breath so that she could hear the sound of his boots crunching his way up to the castle. When they faded she let out a shuddering breath and closed her eyes, resting her head against her arms a moment. She took a breath and glanced up at the manacles chaining her to the torch, "_On…Onlucan_," she whispered, then fell in a heap to the ground, whimpering in pain as the manacles unlocked. She should have thought of a different spell, as soon as the manacles released her, her arms dropped to her sides, the movement causing a searing pain to shoot though her body as it too hit the floor. Black spots danced in her vision as she lay on the hay and dirt covered ground of the stables.

She didn't want to move, not at all, but she needed to get back to the castle. Not only because, knowing Urry, he would probably alert the guards that there was someone lurking in the king's stables, and they would find her, but also to see her uncle. He never seemed to sleep well until she and Merlin were both back from the day's chores, he would see her back, yes, but he would be able to help her.

Drawing a deep breath, she srunched her face and pushed herself to her feet in one quick motion. Perhaps too fast, she swayed and leaned heavily on the stable wall. Luckily, Urry had chained her near the main door which was only a few feet away. She stumbled to it, resting against its frame for only a moment when she heard guards in the distance, most likely coming to inspect the stables. She steeled herself and ran as fast as she could towards the side of the castle, where she could enter Gaius's chambers.

~8~

Gaius was pacing the room in worry as he waited for Marayna to return from her chores. Merlin had explained, when he arrived, that his sister was just finishing mucking out the stables and would be back soon…but that was an hour ago. Even if Arthur's stables were filthy, if she was nearly done she should have been back by now.

He was just about to wake Merlin and have him help search...when he heard a thud by his door. He stood still as he listened, a moment later there was a faint thud-thud, like someone was feebly trying to knock on the door. Hastily walking across his study, he threw open the door but saw no one standing there. It wasn't until he felt a tug on the bottom of his robes that he looked down...and gasped at the sight before him.

He promptly fell to his knees, seeing his niece, his little Rayna, kneeling by the door, her clothes stained red from the wounds on her back, "Please," she whispered, her voice horse, tears falling from her eyes, "Help…"

"My god!" he exclaimed, reaching out to gently help her to her feet, "What happened, child?"

He led her to a cot and had her lay down while he went to fetch a bucket of water and cleaning cloths. He pushed her hair away from the wounds and began to clean them as quickly and carefully as he could. He frowned as he felt his niece shaking beneath his hands, she was far too pale and had lost too much blood for comfort.

"Rayna," he began sternly, moving around her to lean in and look her in her eyes, "What _happened_?!"

She scrunched her eyes shut, she knew that tone, he wanted to know and he wanted to know _now_, "I…was leaving Arthur's stables and…I s-saw a light coming from Uther's."

"But the king wasn't there. I waited till he fell asleep to ensure the draught had worked."

Marayna tried nodding but winced, "I w-went to warn them, not t-to be there, thought it was a s-servant. I heard a h-horse being beaten. It...it was Urry," she flinched at the name, "He was h-hurting a golden horse and…"

"Golden you say?" he cut in gently, pausing in shock. There was _no_ way Urry would harm _that_ horse, any horse but that one. It was practically a death sentence when it came to the king! "With a white mane?"

"Y-yes," she looked up at her uncle's shocked face, "It's important?"

Gaius nodded, "That was Aurora," he explained, "It was Queen Ygraine's favorite horse, given to her by Uther and named after her sister, who died before Arthur was born. He would not _dare_ harm that horse."

"He did," she whispered, "I tr-tried to st-stop him…he chained me t-to a wall and…well…"

Her gaze traveled to her back and Gaius knew what had happened. His grip on a bandage cloth tightened to the point where his knuckles turned white, he was absolutely livid. How dare that…that _monster_ lay a single hand on his niece?! If anything, he would go straight to the king, wake him and demand the man be executed! Or banished and stripped of his knighthood at the very least.

A small sob reached him and he looked down to see Marayna silently crying. He sighed, moving to her side, he could not go to the King, not now. His niece needed him. Tomorrow though...tomorrow he would see to it that the man suffer, even if he had to brew a poison himself.

~8~

Marayna did not sleep much that night, the pain was too great despite the numbing salve Gaius had used on her back and the potions he'd made her take. Soon enough it was dawn and she pushed herself up and off the cot, having been lying on her stomach the entire night, her arms curled against her chest. Sitting gingerly on the edge of the bed she quietly made her way out of the room she shared with Merlin and over to her uncle's small bedside. She shook him gently and he awoke nearly instantly.

"Rayna?" he groaned, yawning as he spoke, "What…what are you doing up young lady!?"

Rayna winced at the volume of his yell, it was a miracle Merlin hadn't woken up to the sound, though, knowing her brother, he could sleep through a raid if he was tired enough. Which brought her back to her reasons for waking him, she didn't have much time before she usually woke up her brother so this needed to be done quickly.

"I need help with the bandages," she mumbled, standing slowly, "I need to make sure they won't unravel during chores..."

"Chores!" he cut in, jumping to his feet rather spryly for an old man, "There is no way in heaven, hell, or earth I am letting you do chores in your condition!"

"I _have_ to uncle," she pleaded, "If I…"

"Marayna this is _serious_! Your wounds were just caused _hours_ ago, you've lost too much blood, you've barely rested or eaten…"

"Uncle,_ please_," she rubbed her head, he was not helping her rapidly forming headache, "I must complete my chores. I'll not let Arthur load everything on Merlin again, especially when it was _my_ fault he gave us so many. Now I am asking you for help, to make sure the healing salve is applied properly and the bandages remain tight, because you know as well as I that I will do it myself if I must."

Gaius looked at his niece, staring her in the eyes, trying to make her back down, but all he saw was steely determination. He sighed and shook his head, reaching out to pick up a fresh mess of bandages and a bowl of the salve. Marayna gave him a small, thankful smile and went to sit so her uncle could work. It only took a few moments for Gaius to have securely wrapped the bandages around the freshly salve-covered wounds. He had treated many wounds in his past and so it was only natural that it be done as quickly as it was.

"There," he whispered, resting a hand on her shoulder, "Rayna, please, if you will not listen to me and forgo your chores, at least try and take your time. Do not overstress yourself and don't try more than you can handle."

Even as he said it, they both knew it was a lost cause. Marayna would push herself through it as though it were just a normal day. It went without saying that she did not wish anyone to know about the incident with Urry. She had half-begged him last night not to go to the king, he could not deny that her reasons (that Urry would twist her words and make it seem like she deserved the punishment or that he had done nothing to her) would be more accepted by the king coming from a knight than the word of a servant. It was times like these where he truly hated the class system.

"I shall prepare breakfast," he mumbled, stepping away, "You'd best wake your brother."

Marayna nodded and closed her eyes, concentrating. Merlin had somehow built up an immunity to being woken up in any sort of manner short of her screaming her head off in his mind. It was a pity, she had taken quite a bit of pleasure out of throwing a pail of cold water on him to startle him awake, that and banging metal together, and throwing curtains aside to let light in, and other things.

'_Merlin,_' she spoke softly this time thought, sometimes she was able to wake him without screaming and...she didn't really want to have to yell again, her head hurt enough already. It seemed like her luck might have started to change though as it appeared to be one of those times she felt him stirring without the shouts, '_Merlin, you need to wake up. Arthur is expecting us bright and early. He wants to go hunting._'

She could hear her brother groan in her mind and smiled softly at that. Just as she heard him getting up from bed, Gaius had finished preparing breakfast, basically just heating up the never-ending supply of white mush he seemed to have stored and stockpiled somewhere. They ate in mostly silence, as Merlin was not the best morning person and she had little to say, really...she was just trying to save every last bit of strength she had to face chores that morning.

~8~

'_Are you alright?_' Merlin whispered as they made their way towards Arthur's chambers, '_You look a bit pale._'

'_I'm fine,_' she replied, smiling brightly, if a bit forcedly, at her brother, '_Just a late night, didn't get much sleep._'

Merlin nodded and left the subject there as they quickly entered Arthur's room and set about their average daily routine of curtains and bedding and clothes and dressing. It wasn't until Arthur was fully dressed and turned to face her, awake, that he noticed something was off about her as well.

"Are you sick Mara?" he asked, eyeing her critically as she finished making his bed in actual silence, no snide remarks at all.

'_Mara?_' Merlin shot a smirk at his sister for it.

Marayna shook her head at him, "No, sire," she replied, sighing a bit.

Arthur's eyes narrowed, even HE was able to tell she was lying, he was certain of it. She didn't look well at all. She was far too pale, there were bags under her eyes, and her eyes appeared a bit red though he could find no sign of tears to support his thought that she had been crying. Had his chores been a bit too much the day before? He paused to think on the list, but shook his head at himself, no, nothing out of the ordinary.

He looked at her again, but...he didn't really know her so if she said she was fine, there WAS a chance that she was and he was just...worrying unnecessarily, "Well, are you both ready for hunting?" he looked at them, his gaze landing back on Marayna, "I should hope that you are a bit more competent at stealth than your brother?"

Marayna smirked tiredly, "Of course not."

He laughed a bit at that and left the room, Merlin and Marayna following behind him.

~8~

Marayna clenched her teeth, setting her jaw as she trudged after Merlin and Arthur. She should have taken the extra vial Gaius had been trying to slip her this morning. The numbing effect of the salve had worn off a long while ago and the draught to dull the pain had worn off not long after. She could_ really_ use that vial of draught right now. She had been hiking after the boys for _hours_ now and with all the ducking below tree limbs and jumping over stones in pursuit of prey, her back felt as though it were on fire. She was sure that the one time she fell, tripping over an upturned root, she had reopened a few of her wounds and was grateful that Arthur had let her wear her tunic and leggings this time, since they'd be rushing about, she'd selected her only black shirt incase that happened so no one would see the red leak through.

But she refused to show how much she was suffering.

She made certain to hide her grimaces when they were speaking to her. Smiling at them and nodding, wincing as soon as their backs were turned. She tried walking less stiffly when she was ahead of them, but had thankfully ended up behind them most of the time, using the trees to help support her as she walked. Thanks to a bit of magic, and her brother's natural clumsiness, Arthur hadn't managed to catch all that much, so she hadn't had to carry anything too heavy.

It was nearly late afternoon when they returned to Camelot, Arthur had to do a bit of training with the knights before dusk so they needed to be back while there was still light. As Arthur headed off in the direction of the courtyards, where the training was that day, Merlin and Marayna headed towards Gaius's chambers.

"Oh!" Merlin exclaimed, stopping dead in his tracks. Marayna turned to face her brother, a questioning look on her face, "I forgot, I left some armor with Gwen and Tom to be mended yesterday. I promised to pick it up today."

Marayna nodded and held out her hands for the 2 small rabbits her brother was carrying, "Thanks Aya," he smiled, patting her on the back, "I'll be back soon."

And then he ran off towards town, not noticing how stiff his sister had become at his patting. If she thought her back was on fire before, it was _nothing_ compared to now after someone actually touched it. It was her own fault, she reasoned, as she made her way to Gaius's chambers. Merlin didn't know about her back otherwise she _knew_ he would have never patted it…actually if he knew, she was fairly certain that Urry would be dead by now and Merlin would be set for execution as a sorcerer.

She walked as briskly as she could without moving her back much, nodding a quick hello to Morgana as the young ward exited Gaius's chambers and she entered. Morgana paused and gave her a curious look which she ignored. She entered the chambers, laying the rabbits on the table just as Gaius turned around to face her. He immediately knew something was wrong by the look on her too-pale face, "What happened?"

"I…I think I might have reopened some of the um..." she shuddered, resting a hand gently on her lower back, not wanting to say it.

Gaius sighed, "Come here, let me see."

She did as she was told and Gaius explained that she had indeed reopened a few of the cuts. He ordered her to lie down in hers and Merlin's room while he got another batch of salve ready. She didn't hesitate, knowing it would take Merlin a bit of time to collect the armor and deposit it in the armory. But still, the sooner they finished, the sooner she could pretend that everything was fine again.

She mentioned to Gaius that the rabbits were to go to the kitchens and he promised to have a servant come collect them for her, which he had. He had just finished brewing the salve when Merlin strode through the door, a happy grin on his face, "Merlin!" he exclaimed, though not loudly enough to alert Marayna to his presence. This was a blessing in disguise, "Merlin, I need a favor from you."

"Sure," the boy replied, "What is it?"

"The king called upon me to examine his shoulder," he handed his young ward a bowl of salve and a wad of bandages, glancing at the back door meaningfully, "While I see to him, I need you to change her bandages."

Before Merlin could even ask who he was talking about, Gaius was out of the room. Merlin turned, quite confused by Gaius's actions, but made his way to the back room nevertheless. Perhaps Morgana had been injured and was waiting in the back to be treated, or perhaps a servant or something.

Well, he was right, it _was_ a servant, just not one he was expecting because there, laying on her stomach, was his_ sister_, with her back exposed, angry red welts and cuts glaring up at him.

"Oh my god," he gasped, dropping the salve and bandages, but having enough sense to magically freeze them midair.

Marayna quickly turned her head at the sound of her brother's voice, only to see him standing there, mouth open, eyes wide and shining with a mixture of horror, shock, worry, and anger.

"What happened?!" he demanded, setting the supplies on the stool next to her.

"Merlin!" she yelped, "What are you doing here?"

"Gwen and Tom delivered Arthur's armor earlier," he replied, his expression serious, "Now tell me what happened Marayna!"

She winced at that, when he used her full name...it was a sign he was not in a joking mood. She sighed, reaching out to grasp his hand and closed her eyes, opening her mind and allowing him to witness what had happened to her. It was something they had learned they could do as children, share memories as well, it helped when one was too upset or tired to speak. It only took a few moments but it was enough. Merlin pulled his hand away as though he'd been burned and stood up, fury coursing in is blood, the promise of a slow and painful death for Urry flashing in his eyes.

Marayna's eyes widened at the look on her brother's face, she didn't need to hear his thoughts to know what he was thinking, "Merlin, don't!"

But her cries were ignored as Merlin ran out of the room...

~8~

Arthur frowned as he watched his knights training. He hadn't been able to focus on the exercise as his thoughts kept returning to Marayna. There was something...off...about her today, but he just couldn't tell what it was.

He wasn't able to think on the situation much more as a shout resounded behind him.

"URRY!"

He quickly spun to see Merlin stalking towards the training arena, quite shocked because that shout had been so angry and deep that he hadn't associated it with Merlin at all. Had he not seen the red neckerchief that was Merlin's trademark, he would have wondered who the fuming young man was. In his rage, he looked nothing like the clumsy oaf that Merlin was.

"I'LL KILL YOU!" he threatened, before launching himself at the knight. He barely made it within a foot of him before the other knights were stepping in to defend their comrade. Arthur reacted to the blatant display of violence as well, rushing forward to restrain Merlin, locking the boy's arms behind his back as he dragged him, kicking and screaming obscenities, away from the courtyard.

Merlin hadn't calmed any by the time Arthur had dragged him all the way back to Gaius's chambers, "What is the matter with you?" he demanded, pushing Merlin away and into the wall.

Merlin made to get around him, but Arthur blocked him, "Move," Merlin ordered.

"I'm the one giving the orders around here," Arthur replied, his eyes narrowing at the lack of respect and audacity of his manservant.

"Move."

"Not until you tell me why you're after Urry," Arthur answered, blocking another escape.

"I'm going to kill him," Merlin stated, dead serious.

"Then I can't let you by," Arthur crossed his arms.

"You don't know what he did to my sister!" Merlin snapped, glaring at the prince.

Arthur dropped his arms and looked at Merlin, startled, "Mara? What's he done to her?"

Merlin took a few deep breaths, before shaking his head, he didn't want to say it, saying it, describing the state of her back would make it far too real, would only force him to admit he hadn't been able to protect his baby sister, "See for yourself."

He turned and opened the door to Gaius's chambers, leading the young prince through the room to the smaller one in the back. He hesitated by the door and it took Arthur a moment to realize why. Just on the other side he could barely make out the sound of muffled sobs. He was just about to push Merlin out of the way and barge into the room to check on (what he assumed to be) Marayna when Merlin slowly opened the door.

"Aya?" he called softly, all traces of anger leaving his voice as he looked upon his sister.

"Merlin!" she gasped, looking up, revealing her tear-stained face, but relieved eyes. Merlin immediately rushed forward to take her hand in his, his body blocking her sight of Arthur, "I was worried you'd done something stupid and…"

"Shhh," he whispered, wiping her tears away, "I didn't do anything. Didn't get the chance to…"

She looked at him questioningly, "Wha…"

"What the bloody hell happened?!" a voice demanded from the doorway.

Marayna winced, pushing herself up more to see Arthur standing there, staring in horror at her back. She nearly dropped her mouth in shock at the sight of him, at the horror and worry in his eyes, but managed to restrain herself. She sighed, "I'm tired of explaining."

Merlin nodded as she laid back down and turned to face the back wall. He silently got up and moved out of the room, pulling Arthur out with him. As soon as the door was shut again, Arthur rounded on him, "What happened?" he repeated, his eyes hard with an emotion Merlin had never seen before.

"Aya was finishing up chores last night and saw a light in Uth…the king's stables," Merlin began, "When she went to look, Urry was there whipping a horse, I think Gaius said its name was Aurora," he recalled from Marayna's memory as Arthur's eyes widened at that bit of information, but Merlin continued "She tried to stop him and I guess he didn't like it," Merlin was now growing angry and his words took on a more vehement tone, "He chained her to one of the torch sconces and whipped _her_ back instead. Something about her humiliating him and ordering him around."

Both men stood there for a moment, hands clenched into fists at their sides, jaws locked in fierce anger. Arthur nodded, "I shall look into the matter," he informed his servant, which Merlin understood to mean he was going to get evidence so the king would believe him this time, "I promise you both justice."

Merlin nodded and slipped back into the room to tend to his sister's back while Arthur left the room with purpose and a bit of regret.

He should have let Merlin at the knight.

~8~

Arthur deftly made his way to his father's stables. He was the only one in the kingdom, besides Morgana, who was allowed to enter them without the king's escort or permission. He slowly made his way past the various stallions towards the very last stall. He had often been told stories of Aurora, of how it had been a gift to his mother by his father after her sister had died by bandit attacks about five years before he had been born. His father had often let him come visit the mare, a last reminder of his mother. She was a very old horse, nearly 25 years old by now, yet still thriving.

He had never been allowed to ride her or do anything to her. His father treated this horse with particular care. There was only one stablehand allowed to tend to the horse, an old man who had been taking care of it since it had arrived there. She was well fed, well groomed, and well cared for. _No one_ was to ride her or harm her or even_ touch_ her without the king's permission. She was allowed to graze wherever she wished, sleep when she wanted, and gallop freely within the area. For Urry to even_ think_ of laying a hand on her…for him to do that to Marayna for defending the poor horse made Arthur shake with anger. If Marayna's story proved true…he didn't want to think of the repercussions.

He started to a stop just outside Aurora's stall, his eyes widening as he took in the angry red marks that contrasted greatly to the gold of her hind. His fist clenched in anger at the marks, the marks that were exact to the ones on Marayna's back, the ones that also represented the blatant disregard of his father's law. He looked away, down to the entrance when something caught his eye. He strode to the end of the row and saw a pair of manacles lying in the small bits of hay that lined the floor. Even more disturbing was the flecks of red he could see, Marayna's blood. A knight was_ not_ supposed to treat a woman, even a servant that way.

He would see to it that Urry would pay for his crimes.

~8~

"Why have you called court this time?" Uther asked his son as he strode into the Main Hall, up to his throne, nodding his greeting at Morgana who sat in her small decorated chair. He glanced at his son, an eyebrow raising as he took in his tense appearance. He was obviously very angry about something and trying to remain calm, it was a stance that the boy had inherited from him it appeared, to stand so still with one's hands fisted so as to avoid moving and lashing out at the thing that made you angry.

He was failing miserably.

Which left the king to wonder briefly what could have bothered his son so much. Whatever it was, he doubted he would like it very much.

"I have come across some rather disturbing evidence of a grievous crime committed in Camelot," Arthur started, Morgana frowned at that, able to see him shaking with barely controlled rage, "I wish to have Sir Urry stripped of his title and banished from Camelot."

There was a stirring among the knights, as cries of protest flared within the court. It wasn't until Uther raised his hand did silence resume, "And what 'crime' has he committed to warrant such a punishment?" Uther inquired, it was a very serious request.

"My servant Marayna..." Arthur started, when grumbles began again.

"Your servants_ again_, Arthur?" Uther cut in, clearly disappointed in his son for bringing up his servants.

"_Yes_ father," he replied stonily, "She was brutally tortured by that man!"

Morgana gasped as he pointed at Urry, who looked at the king in shock and outrage, "I have done no such thing my Lord!"

"So you deny that you chained my servant to a sconce in the stables and beat her with a riding crop?" Arthur demanded, striding up to the knight, whose eyes widened in fear.

Obviously he hadn't thought the girl would say anything.

Uther leaned forward in his chair, clearly disturbed by the information, while he himself was considered a brute by many, a harsh master, he did not believe in torment like that, in brutal beatings for a servant. He may threaten it, but to do so...and to someone who was NOT your servant was bad form, "Is this true, Sir Urry?"

Urry glared at Arthur before turning to the king, "I punished her, that is true, sire," he explained, "But she deserved it!"

"No one deserves that," Arthur argued, when Uther held up his hand again and Arthur backed away.

"Explain," Uther commanded.

Urry nodded and took a step forward, "I was merely training one of the horses who had yet to be broken. She ran in and demanded that I stop my ministrations. Actually had the cheek to _order_ me to stop and threaten to get the guards after me. I was merely teaching her to respect her superiors, majesty."

Uther leaned back in his chair, while he didn't exactly agree with the man's methods of teaching a lesson, he could not deny that a servant speaking out of place did warrant a punishment of some sort, he was about to speak again when Arthur stepped forward, "Why don't you tell my father the name of the horse you were 'breaking?' And how Marayna was merely stopping you from beating it senseless!"

"I don't know what horse it was," Urry rolled his eyes, "A horse is a horse."

Arthur glared one final time before turning to face his father, knowing his next words were sure to send the knight away for a VERY long time, if he was not beheaded before hand, "The horse he was 'merely training,' father, was Aurora. I saw the marks on her hide myself."

"What?!" Uther demanded rising from his seat as Urry looked at his king, confused for a moment before realizing that the horse was clearly important to the man, "How _dare_ you?"

"Majesty," Urry stuttered, "It refused all direction and needed to be broken."

But Uther was_ seething_, "That horse was_ my wife's_!" and then something dawned on him, "What were you doing in my stables to begin with?"

"I…I…" Urry was at a loss, he hadn't really known what he was thinking going into Uther's stables that night. He'd just...he supposed, wanted to ride a horse that as worthy of him, needed to feel powerful once more and what better horse to ride for that then one worthy of a king?

"And when that girl Maria…"

"Ma_ray_na," Arthur corrected.

"Whatever her name is," Uther waved him off, "When she forced you to stop, you hit_ her_ with the riding crop instead? Since you could not continue with the horse?" he didn't give Urry a moment to reply as he turned to the guards, "Guards! Seize him. You, Sir Urry, are forthwith stripped of your title. I want you to leave this kingdom and never think of returning or it shall be your head!"

The guards quickly left the room, dragging a stunned Urry between them.

Uther returned his attention to his son, "Arthur!"

"Yes father?" Arthur asked, glancing at his father from where his glare had been following Urry out.

"Your maidservant tried to stop him?" he confirmed, Arthur nodded, "We shall...hold a small feast in her honor, tonight."

Arthur's eyes widened, he hadn't quite expected that much of a reward from his father. At most he was hoping his father would simply say 'thank you.' But he understood though, the horse...anything that belonged to or related to his mother was cherished by his father and loved with more care than anything. For Marayna to have defended the horse (even unknowing of how important it was to the king) it was...something that most certainly raised his father's view of her.

He nodded and turned to leave, Morgana quickly standing and joining him with Gwen. She wanted to check on the girl and make sure she was alright...not to mention, she would have to help the girl prepare for the feast, she was, no doubt, in no shape to dress herself.

~8~

Marayna stood outside the doors of the Main Hall, shaking slightly, though more from nerves than her back. She had taken a stronger dose of Gaius's draught to dull the pain so that wasn't the issue. To say she had been shocked when Gwen and Morgana burst into her room with news that Uther planned to honor her with a small feast would be an understatement. She had actually asked them immediately if Uther was enchanted...but they'd just laughed and explained exactly HOW important that horse was to the man. However, she was even more shocked when Arthur told her of Urry's title stripping and banishment. She was happy about that last part, she didn't _ever_ want to see Urry's face again, but the feast…the feast she could do without.

She had tried to get out of it, of course. Tried every excuse under the sun really. Her back was healing, she was tired, she was sore…she had even gone as far as to say she had nothing to wear...which she realized too late had been the trap Morgana had been waiting for her to fall into. As soon as the words left her mouth Morgana immediately helped her to her feet and whisked her away to her chambers.

And now here she was, standing just outside the doors, waiting for a pair of knights to open them for her. Morgana had quickly gone though the proceedings of the night. The doors would open, Arthur would be standing there to escort her to the king, Uther would nod, she would bow or curtsy or what have you, and the feast would begin. Simple enough, though she knew, she just _knew_ that the family clumsiness would flare up and she would make a fool of herself.

Her thoughts were cut off by the doors opening, making her stiffen when she saw the small crowd of people gathered, not quite as many as there had been during the tournament before, but still a good amount to make her nervous. She stepped forward slowly, seeing Arthur standing there, smiling slightly at her. He held out his arm, which she took and he led her down the aisle of people to his father.

Uther nodded his head and she dipped into as good a semi-curtsy bow thing as she could manage, her back stiff as she couldn't yet bend it a great deal. When she stood again, she noticed the king staring at her curiously, "If I may," he gestured to the side, "A word?"

Marayna quickly looked at Arthur, startled and ready to beg for help to not let her go, only to find he was looking just as shocked as she was. He nodded to her nonetheless and Uther held out his arm. She took it gingerly, her skin crawling just a tiny bit at the thought of linking arms with the man who had murdered so many magic users, and he led her a few feet away from the guests who were now gossiping and staring at her.

"I noticed your dress is rather open," he muttered casually.

Marayna merely glanced down at her dress. It was a stunning dark blue dress with long flowing sleeves, a box cut neckline, that flowed to the floor, swirling from her hips. The back however, exposed most of her back, from her neck to lower back, giving everyone who looked a grand view of her healing scratches that had been left visible. It didn't help that Morgana had put her hair up in some sort of fancy bun so her hair wouldn't irritate the cuts.

"I apologize, um, my Lord," she replied, "My Uncle recommended I allow my wounds exposed to fresh air. I could not wear a normal dress as the fabric would irritate the cuts…" Uther nodded, he had noticed the dress immediately as one of Morgana's old ones and knew of the back without looking at it. Marayna took a breath and continued, "I also felt I should expose my wounds to view as well."

"Why so?" he eyed her, most young women would be rather repulsed by the wounds and try everything to cover them up.

"If you will, Majesty, allow me to answer with a question?" he nodded, "When you are in battle, and secure a victory, do you not return to Camelot exposing your wounds for your people to see?" Uther nodded again, not quite sure where she was heading, "I feel that my wounds are like those you would sustain in battle, or at least I'd like to think they are," she had to, because she was quite certain she'd go mad with disgust at herself for having gotten caught in such a predicament, "Because of my actions and my wounds, a man who could have marred the image of Camelot was banished, and for that, I shall wear my wounds proudly."

Uther stared at her a moment, a barest hint of a ghost of a smile on his face. Her words, her passion for the kingdom...it reminded him of someone else he had known and loved a long time ago. When his Ygraine had gone into labor with Arthur, the surgeons felt they had to cut Arthur from his mother's womb. He had gone to tell her that, warning her that there would be a terrible scar marring her flawless skin...but she had simply laid a hand on his and told him it was 'a wound I shall be proud to bear.'

Sadly she had never gotten that chance.

Uther nodded his head, his smile sadder than before as he thought on his wife, and led her back towards her escort who had been standing with his manservant, observing them closely. He watched as the girl stepped to Arthur, noticed how his son's smile widened just a bit more than it had been.

He had to sigh at that, he could recognize that look and, while he felt (or at least might possibly be starting to believe) that this girl, perhaps, might be good for his son, if nothing else she was brave and would likely help protect him, he knew that the look in Arthur's eyes could never be realized.

Had the girl been a noblewoman, it may have been different, she might have had the first small makings of a...rather extraordinary Queen.

Sadly though, she was merely a servant.

A/N: I felt so bad for Marayna in this chapter :( But who loved protective brother Merlin? :) I'm not sure if Uther is quite in character to throw even the smallest feast for Marayna for what she did, but I sort of got the impression from the show that Uther was greatly affected (to the extreme) by either magic or the memory of Ygraine, so to have one of the last living creatures she cherished (besides Arthur) saved by Marayna might explain that moment/slip :) I can say this won't be the last we see of Marayna's 'battle wounds' or her doing things that shock even Uther ;)

I made up the difference between Sorcerer/Warlock for this story, I don't think they ever said anything about that in the show ;)

Also...threw in a tiny little shout-out to my one DW story in here for anyone who's read Angel ;)

Onlucan - Open/Unlock

Oh, to anyone who might be reading my TAOSAT spin-off, it won't be updated today :( I fell a bit behind in writing that chapter to get my Sherlock transcript finished, but it WILL be up tomorrow :)

Some notes on reviews...

We'll have to wait and see who will get poisoned by Nimueh }:)

There's a note on my FF profile (and on my tumblr's Upcoming Stories page) about Sherlock lol, it'll be continued with Welcome Holmes on January 19th :)

We may just see a slightly different Morgana in this series ;)

There are many more bonding moments for Arthur and Marayna no worries ;) But, since I do have this entire collection (all 5 series) written out already, I can say Marayna won't have any exceptional riding skills or bond that way with a horse, we will see Aurora again and another horse, but nothing like that ;)


	5. The Poisoned Chalice

The Poisoned Chalice

Merlin groaned for the hundredth time as he and his sister straightened up Arthur's room, Merlin taking care of the floor while Marayna fixed things that didn't require her to kneel down or hunch over, her back was healing nicely, but still healing from the wounds Urry had inflicted upon her. The servants were all in a frenzy cleaning the castle, which had to be spotless, king's orders. Apparently the king and knights of a neighboring kingdom were arriving in Camelot that afternoon to sign a peace treaty and everything had to be perfect lest they 'shame the name of Camelot.' They had just finished polishing the last of the metal in Arthur's room (not that they had a clue as to why any of the visiting dignitaries would be IN Arthur's room to begin with) when the prince strode in and ordered them to follow. The other king had arrived and, as servants of the prince, they were expected to be there as he greeted the king.

The two regal men strode into the main hall, both kings decked in their respective colors, red for Camelot and blue for the neighboring kingdom. Both sides came to a halt in the center, kings at the front, followed by knights, with the servants on the side. Uther eyed the king critically before speaking, "Camelot welcomes you, Lord Bayard of Mercia. The treaty we sign today marks an end to war and the beginning of a new friendship towards our people," he held out his hand for the man to shake as the knights began clapping.

Merlin smiled, clapping, and looked down at his sister only for his smile to fade. She was standing there, eyeing the servants of Bayard with a frown on her face, '_Aya?_' he nudged her gently, '_What's wrong?_'

She glanced at him for a moment before returning her gaze to the servants, '_I'm not_ _sure_,' she replied, '_I feel like something is wrong…something's off…_'

'_Do you know what it is?_'

She shook her head minutely, '_No,_' she sighed, trying to smile for the appearance of being happy for the treaty, which she was. It was just, she had a strong feeling like something incredibly evil was lurking about the hall. She looked away from the servants when she noticed one with brown hair and blue eyes turn to face her, not wanting to be caught staring.

~8~

"Why do we always get landed with the donkey work?" Merlin muttered to his sister as they trudged down the hall, lugging a sack full of...something between them.

"You're servants," Gaius laughed as they passed him, "It's what you do."

"My arms'll be a foot longer by the time we get this lot inside," he complained again, making his sister laugh a bit as well.

"It's character building. As the old proverb says: 'Hard work breeds…a harder soul.'"

"And where did THAT proverb come from?" Marayna smiled, "Your science books? You made it up uncle."

"I did not," Gaius responded indignantly though with a small smile on his face.

Just then, one of Bayard's serving girls dropped a small pile of cloth she was carrying as she tripped over her skirt, "Sorry!" she exclaimed, staring at them in worry that she would be scolded for getting in their way and also for soiling the cloth.

"It's alright," Merlin replied as Marayna stared at the woman curiously, it was the same girl with blue eyes and brown hair hidden mostly behind the blue cloth wrapped around her head.

"Excuse me," the woman squeaked as she immediately knelt to pick up her lost items.

"Let us give you a hand with that," Merlin knelt down to help her as well, pulling his sister down with him. The girl looked up and locked eyes with Merlin, holding his gaze as they stood, Marayna standing too, though she seemed to be glaring, unnoticed, at the girl.

"Hi, I'm Merlin," he grinned, "This is my sister, Marayna."

"Kara," she smiled at them, before her eyes widened in realization, "You're Arthur's servants. It must be such an honor."

"Oh yeah, _such_ an honor," Marayna muttered.

"Someone's got to keep the place running," Merlin joked.

"Thank you, Merlin," Kara gushed, "You as well Marayna."

"No problem," Merlin replied. Kara just stared at them for a moment before they realized they were still holding a few of her items. They quickly handed them over to the girl who smiled in response.

"It was nice meeting you," Kara nodded before making her way down the hall, Merlin watching her as she went.

'_I don't like her,_' a voice said in his head and he turned to see his sister glaring at the retreating form of Kara.

'_Is someone being the protective sibling now?_' Merlin joked, laughing in his head.

'_No,_' she replied, serious, '_There's something…I just don't like her._'

Merlin was about to respond when Gaius chimed in, looking quite amused, "Shouldn't you be busy 'running the place?'"

~8~

Merlin dumped a pile of red onto the table in Arthur's chambers, stepping back and covering his nose as an awful musty smell rose from them, "When's the last time these were cleaned?" he asked, trying not to gag.

"Last year sometime," Arthur shrugged, watching his servants reactions from his safe distance away from the smell, "Before the feast of Eltain."

"What was it, a feast ending in a food fight?" Marayna squeaked as she pinched her nose shut, "A spoiled food fight?"

"Don't all feasts?" Arthur responded as Merlin moved to help him into his red jacket.

"We wouldn't know," she replied, stepping back a bit to escape the smell her brother was unfortunate enough to be stuck in the vicinity of. And it was true, the only 'feasts' she'd been to were for the tournament and, well, her own, but she was sure they were small in comparison to the one Arthur mentioned. One was even unofficial so she couldn't even say how feasts typically ended.

"The airs and graces of the court are a mystery to us," Merlin added, straightening the prince's jacket.

Arthur looked down at it, "Well, tonight they won't be."

Merlin glanced at his sister before looking to the prince, "We're going to be at the banquet?"

"Not quite," Arthur responded, stepping away and removing the jacket, not wanting to be caught in the stench of it any longer, "You'll be there to make sure my cup doesn't run dry and my plate is full. If I have to sit through Bayard's boring speeches, I don't see why you should get out of it," he tossed the jacket to Marayna, "Be sure to polish the buttons," he smirked as she rolled her eyes, "Oh, and Mara?" she glanced at him, "I have requested Morgana prepare you for the feast, you shall need to know a bit of etiquette for women that she can teach you."

Marayna shook her head, "I _know_ the proper etiquette."

"Right," Merlin laughed.

"Honestly Merlin," she sighed exasperatedly, "Do you remember why mother sent me to Aunt Elaine's in the first place?"

"She wanted you to..." he trailed off, realizing what she meant, "Oh."

She had been sent to their aunt's to train as a 'lady in waiting' or some other nonsense he was sure she'd hate. It had been their mother's fondest hopes that, because of their magic, they were destined for a better life than Ealdor. She'd sent Marayna to Elaine when it became clear her prospects in Ealdor were minimal and she had hope that, even if her daughter not secure a husband, that she'd still have a good life and had thought of her sister. She'd been sent to their aunt to have even the smallest place at court, in a role that she wouldn't need a husband for, and also in the hopes she'd make friends with either her mistress or the other 'ladies' attending to whatever woman it was.

Marayna had railed against it, claiming she was just as happy in Ealdor, toiling in the fields, as ever and that she didn't want to go. He was of the impression it was more because she'd be expected to keep quiet, wear a dress, and follow protocol than being homesick. Those were the three things his sister failed miserably at. It was funny though, of those three things, Arthur seemed to only have an issue when she didn't wear a dress and even then he DID let her wear her tunic and leggings on occasion, which was something.

"Just because I do not _use_ the etiquette, doesn't mean I don't _know_ it," she replied, fingering a button, "There's no point in bothering Morgana about it."

Arthur simply shrugged and moved behind the dressing screen in search of something, "Do you want to see what you'll be wearing tonight?"

Merlin and Marayna looked down at their clothes, "Can't we just wear these?" she asked.

She had been forced to wear a dress that day since the _all_ the blasted protocols had to be followed when dignitaries visited, no matter how much she loathed to do it. Still...she'd rather wear a dress and watch a peace treaty be signed than forego that and end up watching a war break out because a visiting king thought she was being disrespectful or something. She had chosen a simple one Arthur had had made for her, it was similar to the pink dress Gwen usually wore, though the pink was replaced by a red that matched her brother's neckerchief.

Arthur glanced at their clothing then looked away, offended, "No, tonight you will wear the official ceremonial robes of the servants of Camelot," he stepped out from behind the screen, holding up something in both hands that appeared to be red cloaks and two very feathery headdresses.

Marayna and Merlin stared in horror at the items, "You can't be serious," they said in unison.

Arthur just smirked.

~8~

Of course Arthur was dead serious about the choice of clothing. Which was why Merlin and Marayna stood next to Gwen in the main hall that night, wearing matching red cloaks and feathers. Funny, no other servants were wearing the same.

Arthur, though, had realized his mistake all too soon as he tried to keep his laughter silent while his father and Bayard signed the treaty. Just on the other side of the room, he could see Marayna doing a quiet impersonation of a chicken. He should have_ known_ she would do something like that if he forced her to wear feathers. She seemed to love taking the things he dished out to her and turning it around on HIM. She was doing a very good job of keeping attention away from her though. She was tucked away in the corner with Merlin and Gwen so no one really saw her anyway, but Arthur had a clear view.

He glanced over at Morgana, who sat at the head table, Bayard's servants on either side of it, and could see her hiding a smile and giggles behind her hand. Apparently she had noticed Marayna's actions as well. He shook his head, as long as his father didn't notice, he would not say a word. Besides this really was dreadfully boring so anything to amuse him while the proceedings went about was worth its weight in gold.

Over by Gwen, she could barely contain her laughter at Marayna and Merlin's get up, not to mention Marayna's chicken dance wasn't helping, ""Nice hat," she murmured.

"Thanks," Merlin rolled his eyes, though he was clearly amused by his sister as well. He truly loved that about his sister, for all her sarcasm and cynicism, she really did have a wonderful outlook on things that were honestly meant to bring her down or subdue her. She had a way of twisting attacks against her into advantages and just...making light of things meant to bring her down. Granted there were quite a few things that had happened in the past that bothered her, things he doubted she'd ever truly get over they affected her so deeply, but overall...she tried to make others happy even if it was at her own expense.

He looked around the room and spotted Arthur and Morgana both trying to contain their laughter. Morgana was having far less success than Arthur. It actually looked like she was crying with laughter, which only served to make her blue eyes glow in the light of the hall. Merlin smiled softly as he observed her. When her eyes focused on him, he quickly took off the embarrassing hat...something that Gwen noticed immediately.

She glanced over to see the servant girl, Kara, stationed close to Morgana, looking at Merlin, "She's pretty, isn't she?" Gwen inquired, her eyes narrowing slightly at the servant, not out of jealousy but out of concern for her mistress. She knew for a fact that her Lady cared a good deal for Merlin, possibly more than she even realized, and seeing him flirt with someone else or make eyes at them would hurt her her, "For a handmaiden."

"She'd put Helen to shame," Merlin muttered, smiling, "Though, I could never picture her as a handmaiden."

Gwen looked confused by that statement and looked at the women again, smiling as she saw that, while the serving girl was staring at Merlin, _his_ gaze was firmly fixed on her Lady Morgana.

Cheering interrupted her thoughts as she looked over to see the kings shaking hands and the knights standing to clap. Gwen moved as the servants began clapping and getting things in order, going to stand by Gaius while Merlin and Marayna remained where they were. Uther sat as Bayard stood and began a toast to the kingdom and the peace.

Suddenly, Kara appeared behind them, "Merlin, Marayna, I need to speak to you," she whispered.

"What is it?" Merlin turned, concerned.

"Not here, please," she looked around, "I don't know who else to tell..." she quickly turned and left the room, them following behind her, until they reached the hallway off to the side where no one could hear them, "It wasn't until I saw him give the goblet to Arthur that I realized…" Kara started, speaking very fast.

"Whoa, whoa, slow down," Merlin cut in calmly.

"Start from the beginning," Marayna added, a strange feeling growing within her as she stared at the frantic woman.

"Two days ago, I was bringing Bayard his evening meal, I was supposed to knock, he didn't expect me to walk in…" she rambled.

"Kara, what are you trying to say?" Merlin shook his head, she wasn't making any sense.

"If he knows I said anything he will_ kill_ me!"

"I will not let that happen to you, I promise," Merlin swore, "Please tell us what you saw."

"Bayard is no friend of Camelot," Kara stated firmly and Marayna's eyes narrowed, not at her words, but at _her_, "He craves the kingdom for himself."

"Kara, tell me, what has Bayard done with the goblet?" Merlin tried again, not noticing his sister's hands clenching into fists.

"He believes that if he kills Arthur, Uther's spirit will be broken and Camelot will fall," she whispered.

"What has he done with the goblet?"

"I saw him putting something in it."

"What?!" Merlin demanded.

'_Merlin, don't listen to her!_' he heard his sister warn, '_She's lying!_'

"I shouldn't, he'll kill me," Kara trembled.

"Please, tell me," he stared at her, ignoring his sister, "Was it poison?"

She simply nodded.

Merlin straightened and ran off towards the feast, '_Merlin!_' Marayna shouted before running after him, she paused at the end of the hall and looked back at the woman, "You won't get away with this," she swore, running off before she could see the shocked look on the woman's face.

How had the little witch known?!

~8~

Merlin ran into the hall moments before Marayna could catch up to him, "Stop!" he yelled, "It's poisoned! Don't drink it!" he ran over to the main table and grabbed Arthur's goblet before he could drink from it just as Marayna ran up next to him.

"What?!" Uther demanded, setting his goblet down.

"Merlin what are you _doing_?" Arthur glared at him.

"Bayard laced Arthur's goblet with poison," Merlin stated bluntly.

'_It wasn't Bayard Merlin!'_ Marayna hissed to him, she didn't know how she knew that what Kara, if that was even her name, said was a lie, but...she'd always had feelings about things, her mother called it woman's intuition, she just...knew. It was like she could judge their character, tell when someone was trying to trick her. It didn't always work, sometimes she was fooled, but other times...like now...she just KNEW.

"This is an outrage!" Bayard cried as his men grabbed their swords.

"Order your men to put down their swords!" Uther commanded as the guards and knights drew their own weapons, "You're outnumbered!"

"I will not allow this insult to go unchallenged!"

Uther turned to Merlin and his sister, glaring daggers at them, "On what grounds do you base this accusation?"

"I'll handle this," Arthur grumbled, stepping up, he draped his arm around Merlin's shoulders and tried to lead him away, "Merlin you idiot, have you been at the slow gin again?"

Marayna had_ never_ been so happy to hear someone call her brother an idiot and a drunk. Now if Arthur could just get him out of the hall, she could bump into him and knock the poisoned goblet (because she DID believe THAT part of the tale) to the ground and…

"Unless you want to be strung up, you'll tell me why you think it's poisoned, now!" Uther demanded.

So much for that plan.

"He was seen lacing it," Merlin answered, turning to face the king.

"By _whom_?" Uther leaned forward, staring the boy down.

"I can't say," he responded bravely.

'_You SHOULD say,_' she called to him, '_She's not who she says she is!'_ she didn't know who this Kara girl really was, but she wasn't who she claimed or appeared to be, she knew that much.

"I won't listen to this anymore..." Bayard threatened.

"Pass me the goblet," Uther ordered as he stepped around the table and up to the visiting king, "If you are telling the truth…"

"I _am_," Bayard insisted.

"Then you have nothing to fear, do you?" Uther held out the goblet, about to hand it over, when he suddenly stopped, "No, if this _does_ prove to be poison, I want the pleasure of killing you myself," and so he turned to Merlin, "_He'll_ drink it."

"But if it is poisoned, he'll die!" Arthur protested, seeing the fear flash in Marayna's eyes.

He knew there were servants who acted as 'testers' for his father's food, to ensure nothing was poisoned, but...those men volunteered, for the sake of protecting their king. Right now his father was about to force an innocent boy to potentially drink poison! It...unsettled him, how callous his father was being. He could understand if his father truly believed that the drink wasn't poisoned, but as he had clearly felt there was a possibility (in not wanting to give it to Bayard) then...his father was knowingly asking someone to drink poison to prove a point! How...how was that right? How was that just?

How was that kingly?

"Then we'll know he was telling the truth," Uther stated calmly as he handed the goblet to the boy.

"And what if he lives?" Bayard demanded.

"Then you have my apologies and you can do with him as you will," Uther replied nonchalantly.

"Uther, please, he's just a boy, he doesn't know what he's saying," Gaius protested, clearly even HE was afraid of the possibility it COULD be poison.

"Then you should have schooled him better," Uther answered tersely, his patience wearing thin.

"Merlin, apologize, this is a mistake," Arthur tried desperately, moving to take the goblet from him and failing as Merlin stepped back, "_I'll _drink it."

"No, no, no, no it's alright," Merlin started, but, while his attention was focused on the prince, Marayna quickly stepped up and grabbed the goblet, "Marayna!"

"I'll drink it as well," she said calmly, though she was shaking.

"No!" Merlin shouted, his eyes widening, "It was _my_ accusation, so_ I_ will drink it."

'_What are you doing?_' he added silently.

"I'll drink it," she responded firmly, '_My destiny is far less important than yours, Merlin. If I die, Arthur will still be king, if you die, everything will be destroyed!_' she did not know where the sentiment came from, but as soon as she thought it, she realized it to be true.

"Someone better drink it!" Uther snapped, making nearly everyone flinch.

Marayna nodded and before Merlin could move, took a large sip of the wine, her eyes briefly sliding to the hall she had come from where she could see Kara watching her. If she had any doubts about the girl before they were gone now as she watched the woman _smirk_ at her from across the room, clearly pleased this was happening instead.

She turned her attention to her brother and smiled, handing him the goblet, '_You forget Merlin, where you go, I go._'

It was a promise she had made him _ages_ ago when they were young and just realized the things they could do was because of magic. He had been frightened that their mother would banish him after he accidently set fire to a small patch of leaves near their home and he didn't want to leave. She had said that he would never be alone, she would follow him, go with him anywhere. Not that they had to worry, their mother had always known about their magic. But nevertheless, he had been so..._happy_ with the promise, to know he'd have his sister with him always.

Now it was coming back to bite him.

He sighed and took a swig himself and...a moment later, he looked around the hall at the expectant eyes of the kings, "It's fine," he smiled.

"I'm not too sure," a quiet voice murmured behind him.

He turned just in time to see his sister reach for her throat, when he felt the same burning as well. The last thing he saw was his sister collapsing before his world went black.

"It _is _poison!" Uther shouted as he watched the two servants fall to the ground, spinning to Bayard and his people, "Seize them!"

Arthur had reacted immediately to the sight of Marayna collapse and was at her side in a moment, ignoring his father's orders to focus on the 'enemy' to instead try and help her...only to have Merlin collapse right next to him. He couldn't believe this was happening, Merlin and Marayna couldn't be poisoned! It should have been _him_, he hadn't even had the decency to believe them!

He looked over to see Gwen kneeling by Merlin while Gaius knelt between them, "Merlin, can you hear me?" Gaius tried to get a response, before switching to his niece, "Marayna?" but when they didn't respond he frowned, "We have to get them back to my chambers, bring the goblet, we need to identify the poison."

Arthur quickly scooped Marayna into his arms, careful of her still healing back as a new knight that he faintly recalled was name Bedivere, carried Merlin while Gwen snatched the goblet.

~8~

Arthur realized rather quickly that Marayna was _not_ a light woman. She appeared rather frail and thin but underneath her baggy tunics, he now knew there were muscles, how else could he explain how someone as small as her could be so heavy?! He supposed it made sense, coming from a farming village, that she'd have done all sorts of labor to build the leanness he now felt but he had no time to think on that as Gwen opened the door to Gaius's chambers and allowed him to enter.

Gaius pulled up two cots, "Lay them on the beds quickly, they're struggling to breathe," he ordered. Arthur gently placed Marayna on to one, sure that if she didn't move around too much her back should be fine (putting her on her stomach would only labor her breathing more), while Bedivere placed Merlin on the other, "Gwen fetch me some water and a towel."

Gwen nodded and rushed out of the room as Arthur looked down at Marayna, reaching out to brush a lock of her hair out of her face, the strand already starting to grow moist with sweat, "Are they going to be alright?"

Gaius frowned as he looked over his niece and nephew, who were more like a son and daughter than anything else. He reached out and laid a hand on their foreheads, "They're burning up."

"You can heal them, can't you Gaius?" Gwen asked as she returned with the water and set about laying the cool cloth on their brows.

"I won't know until I can identify the poison," he sighed, "Pass me the goblet," Arthur handed him the goblet Gwen had placed on the table, watching as the old man inspected it thoroughly, "Ah, there's something stuck on the inside…"

"What is it?" Arthur moved to the old man's side.

"It looks like a flower petal of some kind," he mused, eyeing the petal as he held it with a small wooden clasp before walking over to his book.

"His brow's on fire," Gwen commented, feeling Merlin's head, "Rayna's as well."

"Keep them cool, it'll help control the fever, "Gaius ordered distractedly as he found the flower in his book, "Ah, the petal comes from the Mortaeus flower. It says here that someone poisoned by the Mortaeus can only be saved by a potion made from the leaf of the very same flower. It can only be found in the caves deep beneath the Forest of Balor. The flowers grow on the roots of the Mortaeus tree."

"That doesn't look particularly friendly," Arthur interrupted, pointing to illustration of a strange creature on the page next to the flower.

"A cockatrice that guards the forest," Gaius read, "It's venom is potent, a single drop would mean certain death. Few who have crossed the mountains of Egard in search of the Morteaus flower have made it back alive."

Arthur looked at his servants, lying pale and dying on the beds, "Sounds like fun," he moved to leave when Gaius called after him.

"Arthur, it's too dangerous."

"If I don't get the antidote, what happens to them?" he countered.

"The Mortaeus induces a slow and painful death," Gaius answered grimly, "They may hold out for four, maybe five days, but not for much longer. Eventually...they will die."

Before Arthur could react Morgana rushed into the room. He momentarily felt guilty for not checking to make sure she was alright but the thought left him as she called out, "Merlin!" and rushed to his side. She reached out and took the boy's hand in her own, staring down at him worriedly before looking up at Gwen, who was tending to Marayna, "How are they?" she knew, of them all, Gwen wouldn't lie to her.

Gwen sighed, "If Gaius can find a cure, they'll be fine."

"And if you can't?" she looked up at Gaius, when he didn't reply she returned her gaze to Merlin, reaching out to take a cloth from Gwen to rest on his brow. Arthur could see tears collecting in her eyes. He...he honestly had no idea she cared so much for his servants, for Merlin.

"That settles it then," he nodded, murmuring more to himself than the others before he briskly walked out of the room and went in search of his father.

~8~

Arthur strode angrily after his father, who was doing everything in his power to dissuade his son from going to the forests of Balor, he knew what sorts of dangers lurked there, "What's the point of having people to taste for you if you're going to get yourself killed anyway?" he retorted.

"I won't fail, no matter what you think," Arthur insisted.

"Arthur, you are my only son and heir," Uther stressed, pinching his nose as though the whole situation was frustrating him, which, in actuality, it was, "I can't risk losing you for the sake of some servants."

"Because their lives are worthless?"

"No, because they're worth less than yours," Uther replied, rounding on his son, coming to a stop in the middle of the hall.

Arthur couldn't believe what he was hearing. He didn't want to think of what his life would be like without Merlin's clumsiness and Marayna's sarcasm to make it interesting. If anything, their lives were worth hundreds of his, especially with the way they gave themselves up to save his life. He knew it was partially guilt as well, if he'd just believed them, vouched for them...they wouldn't have been forced to take the poison, or Merlin wouldn't have which would mean Marayna wouldn't have volunteered too, "I can save them. Let me take some men…"

"No."

"We'll find the antidote and bring it back," Arthur continued as if he hadn't been interrupted.

"No."

"Why not?" Arthur snapped, frustrated. It wasn't like he was rushing out by himself, he was requesting men and weapons!

"Because one day I will be dead and Camelot will need a king," Uther glared, "I'm not going to let you jeopardize the future of the kingdom for some fool's errand!"

"It's not a fool's errand! Gaius says…"

"Gaius says?" Uther scoffed, "That's exactly what makes it so!"

"_Please_, father," Arthur nearly begged the man to understand, "They saved my life. They've done more for the kingdom than any servant we've ever had! I can't stand by and watch them die."

"Then don't look," Uther answered stonily, "You're not leaving this castle tonight! I will hear no more of this."

~8~

Arthur stalked into his room, half-throwing his sword onto his table before moving to stand, staring into the fireplace. This was one of the first times in his life he was seriously considering disobeying his father. He may not have always agreed with is father about certain things, namely magic and other little things, but this? He shook his head, he just couldn't get the image of Merlin and Marayna collapsing out of his head.

"Say what you like about the food," a voice said behind him and he glanced over his shoulder to see that Morgana had walked silently into the room, "But you can't beat our feast for entertainment."

He flinched as he heard her voice break slightly. He could almost see her trying to smile through her feelings even though he wasn't looking at her any longer, "Sorry, about before," he mumbled, "I should've made sure you were alright."

"Disappointed, actually. I was looking forward to clumping a couple around the head with a ladle."

"The guards could've handled Bayard and his men," he pushed off the fireplace and turning to look out the window, his back to her.

"Yeah, but why let the boys have all the fun?" Morgana countered, her voice holding a dangerous tone.

Arthur sighed, knowing that tone, the challenge that was about to come from her, "Morgana, you shouldn't get involved. It's dangerous."

"Spare me the lecture," she spat, "I've already had it from Uther."

"If it's any consolation, you aren't the only one."

"Not that I listen to him," Morgana continued, ignoring Arthur's words, "Sometimes you've got to do what you think is right and damn the consequences."

"You think I should go?" he asked, finally turning to really look at her.

"It doesn't matter what I think," she replied quietly, looking away, her hands fumbling with something. He glanced down to see her holding Merlin's neckerchief in her hands, twisting and bunching the fabric in her fingers. He flinched and looked away, hating himself for what he was about to say.

"If I don't make it back, who'll be the next King of Camelot? There's more than just my life at stake."

"And what kind of King would Camelot want?" he could see her gaze back to him through the reflection in the window's glass, staring at him defiantly. That single look told him one thing, she would _never_ forgive him if he did nothing, "One that would risk his life to save those of lowly servants or one who does what his father tells him to?"

She stepped into the room and reached over, picking up his sword and moving behind him, waiting till he turned to hold it out to him.

It was his move now.

~8~

Luck had to have been on Arthur's side for him to make it to the stables without the guards seeing him. He would have thought his father's first order would be to lock the stables and have the guards keep him out. Surprisingly, there were no guards in sight as he quickly made his horse ready for the quest he had undertaken.

"You'd disobey me?" a voice resounded from behind him.

His body reacted before his brain, immediately drawing his sword and spinning around to face the enemy. The only problem was, said enemy was his father.

Arthur stood in shock, staring at his father standing before him, his arms crossed over his chest, a stone mask on his face and put his blade away but did not drop his guard, "Of course I would, lives are at stake!" he half-shouted, as though yelling would help get his point through to his father.

"Lives willingly given," Uther replied, not moving an inch.

"I cannot allow Merlin and Mara to die because of me," Arthur answered, matching his father's gaze.

Uther's eyes narrowed a fraction at his son's slip with the girl's name, "Why do you care so much? They're just servants?"

Arthur was _fuming_ at this point. Every moment he wasted standing there was another moment Marayna and Merlin were closer to death. Had he not been so angry, he might have noticed that his father had not asked his question in a condescending way, but a rather serious curiosity. Unfortunately for Arthur, the Pendragon men tended to get angry rather quickly and stay angry quite a while. Only years of training had allowed the king brief moments where he could control his anger.

"They _knew _the danger they were putting themselves in," Arthur answered, "They _knew _what would happen if they drank from that goblet and they did it anyway. They saved my life! Put me in the stocks for a week, a month even, I don't care. I'm going to get the antidote."

Uther stared at his son, critically eyeing him as he stood there in a rage. His son held his gaze and did not break it, something Uther had to credit him for. Not many men, kings or otherwise, could stare him down and not flinch.

Arthur was waiting for his father to move, to do anything that would symbolize his refusal at allowing him the quest, just so he could jump on his horse and ride out. But what his father did next, he was not expecting, far from it.

Uther nodded slowly, "I understand," he stated, nearly smirking at his son's now-stunned face and the way he almost fell over from shock.

"Y…you do?" Arthur eyed him, not quite sure if this was a trick or not. He had never had his father give in to anything, at least not to him. He'd heard stories from Gaius of course, of how his mother always got her way when it came to his father. It seemed to be a talent that skipped a generation or something.

Uther nodded again, "As you said before, they have done a great deal for Camelot and they saved your life."

And they had, many times it appeared. The serving boy had saved Arthur from the sorceress Mary Collins and his sister had saved Aurora, both were feats he would forever be grateful to them for, though he would _never_ admit it. And perhaps he should keep them around, if only to save his son's life in the future as they seemed keen to do.

He looked at his son, dressed in the armor of Camelot, the armor of the knights, and a thought crossed his mind, "A life for a life, a knight always repays his debts."

Arthur didn't wait to see if his father would regain his sense, realize what he'd just essentially given his blessing to, and try to stop him again as he turned and hopped on his horse, riding out of the stables as quickly as possible, heading for the forests.

~8~

Merlin and Marayna shuddered as they laid on the cots in Gaius's chambers, sweaty and feverish as the poison spread through them. Every moment they struggled to breathe and every minute it seemed as though their fevers were getting worse.

"He's getting hotter," Morgana muttered as she wrung out another cloth for Merlin's head. Uther would have a fit if he knew she were sitting in the physician's quarters, tending to a servant boy, but luckily Uther didn't know.

"Rayna too," Gwen sighed, dabbing at the girl's forehead as she mumbled odd words under her breath.

"What language is that?" Morgana asked when the girl's mumblings grew a bit louder.

"None, the fever's taken hold, none of those words are her own," Gaius responded quickly. Gwen breathed a sigh of relief, she had sworn to Merlin and Marayna not to say a word about their secret, not even to Morgana. She would have never been able to come up with an excuse like Gaius had, which made her a bit suspicious that he had more experience in this sort of thing than he was letting on, in hiding magic users, "His pulse is weaker," the man muttered as he held Merlin's wrist and then his eyes widened as he noticed something on his nephew's arm. He reached across and checked Marayna as well, seeing the same red marks.

"What is it?" Gwen asked, seeing his worried face.

"That can't be right," he muttered, staring at the red rashes spreading up their arms, "The rash is not supposed to appear until the final stage."

"What does that mean?" Morgana shook her head in confusion.

Gaius ignored her and stood, quickly moving to his book and reading through it, looking for answers. He didn't have to wait long, "It says here that once a rash appears death will follow within two days."

"You said they had_ four_ days!" Gwen exclaimed, looking between her two fallen friends.

"Something's increased the flower's potency," he continued to read, "It warns that the effects of the Mortaeus will be more rapid if an enchantment Is used during the flower's preparation."

"Enchantment?" Morgana repeated, "But Bayard's not a sorcerer."

"No, he isn't."

"Then who did this?" Gwen demanded.

Gaius was quiet for a moment, lost in thought, when one struck out at him, "It can't have been. She wouldn't dare come here. Unless…"

"Unless, what?" Morgana stared up at him, tears in her eyes as she held Merlin's hand.

"What happened to that girl?" Gaius asked suddenly, turning to them.

"Which girl?" Gwen shook her head, he wasn't making sense.

"Just before Merlin burst into the hall, one of Bayard's serving girls took him and Rayna outside," Gaius explained.

"She had dark hair," Gwen remembered, nodding, "Very beautiful."

"Find her. Quickly."

As Gwen left, Merlin and Marayna gave a shuddering breath, "Arthur," Marayna whimpered.

Morgana frowned, reaching over to hold the girl's hand as well.

~8~

Gwen came running into the room a short while later, fear etched across her face, "Let me guess, she wasn't there?" Gaius supplied.

"No one has seen her since the banquet," she confirmed, "Who is she?"

"Not who she claims to be."

"But you DO know her, Gaius?" Morgana begged, if he knew the woman maybe they could track her down and get her to help.

"Kara. No, that's not her name, not her _real_ name anyway."

"Then who is she?" Gwen asked, growing frustrated.

"A powerful sorceress," he answered and Gwen gasped as Morgana's eyes widened.

"Should we tell Uther?" Morgana stood, "He might be willing to send riders out after her if she's a sorceress and…"

"No, she'll be long gone," Gaius sighed, "It's impossible to know where though…" he trailed off as another, more horrible realization came to him, "Oh, no."

"What?" Gwen whispered, near tears as well, it couldn't get any worse, could it?

"She knows the only place an antidote can be found is the Forest of Balor," Gaius looked up at them, worry evident in his eyes, "Arthur could be walking into a trap."

Apparently it could.

Marayna shook her head in her sleep, "Arthur," she called while her brother shifted as well.

"Arthur, don't go, it's a trap," he muttered, as though the prince could hear him.

~8~

Arthur rode as fast as he could through the forest until he saw the caves he had come for in the distance. Only after he had dismounted and tied up his horse did he notice a girl in a red dress, sitting a ways away, crying. As he drew closer, he could make out a faint red mark on her arm, "Hello," he called softly as he made his way towards her and knelt down, "Are you alright?"

She opened her mouth to reply, when something over his shoulder caught her attention. Her eyes widened and she screamed. He quickly jumped to his feet and turned to see a cockatrice advancing towards them.

"Stay back," he commanded as he drew his sword. Fortunately, he was a skilled enough warrior to defeat the monster rather quickly and not be injured. He turned back to the girl and walked over to her, "It's alright. I won't hurt you," he muttered as he glanced at her arm, seeing the red marks on it, the bruising, "Who did that to you?"

"My master," she answered, still a bit frightful, "I ran away from him, but then I got lost. Please, don't leave me."

"I won't," he promised, "I'm not going to."

"You can take me away from here?" she asked, hope leaking into her words.

"Not yet, there's something I have to do first," he replied, moving to pull a pouch out of his saddle bag and tie it to his belt.

"Why have you come to the caves?"

"I'm looking for something. It can only be found here."

"What is it?" she began, but he didn't say, so she continued, "I know this place. I could help you."

"It's a type of flower that only grows inside the caves. It's very rare."

"The Mortaeus flower," she concluded, "I know where they are. I'll show you," she took the lead and headed determinedly toward the caves, Arthur following a bit cautiously behind her.

~8~

"Arthur, _listen_, it's a _trap_," Marayna called desperately in her sleep.

"It's a trap!" her brother repeated, both of them panting as they tried to breathe.

"The fever's getting worse, isn't it?" Morgana asked, wiping Merlin's brow.

"The poison is setting in," Gaius verified, before glancing up, "Would you fetch me some more wolfsbane?"

"Yes, of course," Gwen replied, getting up.

"I'll get it," Morgana stopped her, "You've just got back."

Gwen nodded and sat back down, looking up at Gaius who was glancing between his niece and nephew, "Merlin, Marayna," he whispered, "You must fight it."

Gwen could feel the tears coming to her eyes.

"You stupid...clotpole," Marayna murmured, her head turning to the side, Gwen unable to help the tearful laugh at that one though.

~8~

Arthur glanced around the caverns cautiously as he followed the mysterious woman through the tunnels and to the edge of a pit that appeared nearly bottomless.

"There they are," the woman pointed, alerting him to the golden flowers on the cave's walls across from them, a small stone bridge crossing the cavern's divide to the other side.

He glanced over the edge, before stepping back and looking at her, "Keep back from the edge," he commented, before taking a step forward, "Don't worry, we'll be out of here soon."

He crept forward slowly, pausing when the cliff began to crumble beneath him. He glanced back to see the woman muttering something foreign under her breath...and the wind picked up, leaving him to realize all too late that she was a sorceress! "What are you doing!" he demanded, leaning across the chasm just as the bridge collapsed from under him. He was barely able to grab a small ledge on the wall of the cave when he heard the woman speak.

"I expected so much more," she spoke in a pitying voice.

"Who are you?" Arthur yelled, looking over his shoulder at her.

"The last face you'll ever see," she replied, smirking. She glanced above him to see a rather large spider crawling on the wall towards the prince, "Seems we have a visitor."

Arthur reached down, managed to grab his sword, and swung at the spider while still holding onto the ledge with one hand. He killed the spider soon enough, but he could hear the hissing of more coming to take its place.

"Very good," the woman clapped sarcastically, "But he won't be the last. I'll let his friends finish you off, Arthur Pendragon. It's is not your destiny to die at my hand."

"Who are you?" Arthur cried again, but it was too late, the woman had turned and left him alone in the darkness, dangling hundreds of feet above the bottom of the cave, surrounded by giant spiders.

~8~

Merlin and Marayna tensed, gasping.

"Arthur!" Marayna cried out.

"Arthur, it's too dark. Too dark," Merlin muttered.

Gaius and Gwen looked at each other in shock as the boy began muttering something under his breath, "_Fromum feohgiftum on fæder bearme_."

Gaius quickly lifted the blanket draped over the boy to see a glowing blue orb resting in his open palm, "Merlin, what are you doing?" he muttered, staring at the orb in shock, much like Gwen was. She hadn't really seen their magic in action before...it was beautiful though.

Marayna flinched as she felt like she was seeing what was happening to Arthur in her mind.

~8~

_Arthur struggled to climb the wall, the sound of the spiders surrounding him. Suddenly her brother's blue orb appeared, floating up from below, casting a silvery light along the wall._

_"Go on then," Arthur shouted, "What are you waiting for? Finish me off!"_

_The orb did no such thing though, just floated close by, allowing him to see. He looked up to see the Mortaeus flower growing on the wall only a few feet away._

~8~

"Just forget them, Arthur," Marayna gasped as she saw the spiders surround him, "Go, save yourself."

"Follow the light," Merlin commanded as he too witnessed what was happening in the cave.

~8~

_Arthur reached out, trying in vain to reach the flower. He was just too far away. He climbed a little higher, moved a bit more to his right and reached again...this time managing to grab it and tuck it away in his pouch. He looked over to see that the spiders were growing in number and headed right for him. He tried desperately to feel for a handhold in the wall, to pull himself up, but could find none. He yanked his gloves off and sought out a hole, but still couldn't find one._

~8~

"Arthur!" Marayna shouted, "_Hieran ac lóclóca! _Arthur!"

~8~

_"Arthur!" a voice echoed above him and Arthur's gaze snapped up to see a figure kneeling on the rocks above him, "Take my hand!"_

~8~

"Take my hand!" Marayna called, her arm lifting a bit, stretching along her bed as though reaching for something she couldn't quite get to. Gwen's eyes widened as she saw a golden glow surround her friend's hand, "Take it! Reach!"

~8~

_"Reach!" the figure repeated, stretching out their hand for him to take._

_Arthur reached up, but was unable to grab her hand. He stretched, scrunching his eyes shut in an effort to grab the hand that was offered him. He almost made it and…he felt his hand slide against a hole cut into the rock instead. His eyes snapped open to see the figure was gone, but now he had a handhold._

_He began to climb._

~8~

"Faster," Merlin begged, struggling to maintain the light, "Follow the light!"

"You're too slow," pleaded Marayna, "Climb!"

~8~

_Arthur climbed as fast as he could, the glowing orb rising with him. With one last glance at the spiders, he threw himself over the ledge at the top of the cavern and rolled down the grass hill to the outside. He stood quickly and prepared himself to face the spiders, but they did not attack. Not waiting, he turned and ran back though the forest towards his horse, intent on returning back to Camelot._

~8~

Merlin and Marayna relaxed, breathing in relief as the orb in Merlin's hand and the glow around Marayna's arm began to fade.

~8~

Arthur burst into the physician's chambers, startling Morgana and Gwen who were intently focused on Merlin and Marayna, "I've got it!" he panted as Gaius jumped to his feet.

He rushed forward and took the flower from the prince, "The fever's much worse," he commented, getting to work, "We have to hurry."

Arthur went over to his servants and knelt down at Marayna's side, taking her hand in his as Morgana was with Merlin.

"Why have you stopped?" he heard Gwen ask and looked up to see that Gaius had indeed stopped working on the potion.

"The poison was created using magic," he muttered as though just realizing the implications, "We may need magic to make an antidote."

"That's impossible," Arthur frowned, "It's against the law!"

"Even if we could…" Morgana trailed and Arthur knew, if they could find a sorcerer or something for the spell, despite what he'd just said...he would willingly look the other way as it saved his the two people he had come to look on as friends.

"I'll try and make it work without it," Gaius muttered, nodding as though it were possible to save them without magic. "Oh, I need some fresh water," he demanded, looking up at them.

"I'll get it," Morgana jumped and ran out of the room.

"And some blankets!" he shouted after her, but waited just long enough where he knew she wouldn't be able to hear.

"I'll do it," Arthur replied hastily, rushing from the room as well.

Gwen looked at Gaius, an understanding coming to her, "You're a sorcerer too, aren't you?"

"Once," he sighed, "A very long time ago," he closed his eyes and tilted his head back in concentration as he muttered an incantation under his breath, "_Seópan ærest wearð feasceaft funden. Denum æfter dom. __Dreamleas gebad he gewann langsum._"

"Did it work?" she asked hopefully a moment later.

Gaius looked down to see the antidote bubble green and turn black, and smiled, "I think it did."

No sooner had he spoken, Arthur and Morgana ran back into the room. Morgana handed Gaius a small cup of water which he promptly stirred into the potion as Arthur covered Marayna and Merlin with an extra blanket.

"Hold his nose," Gaius instructed as he made his way to the closest bed where Merlin lay. Everyone watched as he carefully tilted the boy's head back and poured the potion into his mouth.

None of them saw Marayna let out a silent breath, her head falling lightly to the side as her chest ceased to rise...

"Swallow, Merlin," Gaius commanded gently before moving to Marayna, Arthur opened her mouth and pinched her nose as Gaius poured the potion for her, "Swallow it," he whispered before stepping back a bit and watching the two laying before him.

Moments went by that felt like hours, but nothing happened. Then Gwen noticed…

"They've stopped breathing," Gwen gasped, terrified.

"What's happening?" Arthur demanded.

"Gaius?" Morgana asked, her voice trembling as she looked at him.

Gaius leaned in and listened to their chests before he rose, his face pale, "Their hearts have stopped."

"They're...dead?" Morgana looked down at them, her gaze focused on Merlin, tears in her eyes as Gwen moved to comfort her Lady.

"They can't be," Gaius muttered to himself, standing, "They _can't_ be. It was their destiny."

"It's my fault," Arthur stated, his voice thick with emotion as he looked away, "If I'd gotten here sooner, been quicker…"

"No, it was me," Gaius replied, moving to help comfort the now-crying Morgana and tearful Gwen, hugging both girls, "I should have looked after them better. It's my fault."

There was a moment of silence until…

"That's disgusting," a voice spoke, startling them. They looked down to see Merlin waking up and grinning at Gaius, "You should be ashamed of yourself. You're old enough to be their grandfather."

"Merlin," Gaius stared, "You're alive!"

"No, I'm the ghost come back to haunt you," he said cheekily but was cut off when Morgana suddenly leapt forward...and _kissed_ him.

He stared at her in shock when she pulled away only moments later, a look which she returned with a stunned one of her own, she couldn't believe she had just done that. She was _always_ in control, always! "Sorry," she muttered, "I'm just…I thought you were dead."

"No, it's fine," Merlin replied, reaching out to touch her hand when he heard her voice crack on the 'dead' part, "It's…"

"Mara?" a voice questioned and everyone looked over to see Arthur kneeling by Marayna's cot. In their excitement at Merlin's recovery, they had completely forgotten about his sister who, by the looks of it, was not awake or moving or, to everyone's horror, even breathing, "Gaius?" Arthur looked up at the physician, confused as to why Merlin was awake by Marayna wasn't.

Gaius crouched down next to her and reached out, shaking as he didn't feel a pulse on her wrist. She _should_ have woken by now.

"Oh no," Morgana gasped, "She drank the poison first," she looked at them frantically, "We should have given the antidote to her first as well!"

"No," Merlin shook his head fiercely, "No, no, maybe it…maybe it just takes a little longer to work."

He tried to stand and walk to her, but was still terribly weak from the poison and nearly collapsed to the floor had it not been for Gaius anticipating his movement and catching him. He lowered Merlin next to his sister's cot, "Come on Aya," the boy whispered, reaching out to take her hand in his, not noticing that Arthur held her other hand, "Come on. You can't leave. You can't leave me," he begged, his eyes filling with tears, "You promised, remember? Where I go, you go. I haven't gone anywhere, neither can you."

He closed his eyes, bowing his head and pressing her hand, wrapped in his hands, to his forehead. His shoulders shook as he sobbed, able to hear Morgana and Gwen crying behind him, but it couldn't be true. It _couldn't_. She couldn't be dead. Not her, not his sister. He was just about to damn the consequences and use magic to try and bring her back...when he felt a small pressure in his hands, the lightest of squeezes.

His head shot up as he saw Marayna's face scrunch a little in pain before a shudder ran through her body. She began shaking as another small convulsion took her. He realized a moment before it happened what was coming and magically pushed the pail behind Arthur over to the bed, luckily without anyone's notice, and luckily just in time for her to roll on her side and retch into the pail. She laid back down, everyone fussing over her. Gwen and Morgana rushed to get more water and blankets, Gaius checking her pulse and other little things, Merlin pulling another blanket over her, and Arthur asking if she was alright.

Marayna glanced over at him, her eyes still glossy from the fever she still had, "Ar…Arthur?" she whispered hoarsely.

"Yes?" he murmured, quietly, reaching out to smooth her hair.

She smiled a bit, "Your mother's beautiful."

"What?" he replied, feeling as though a bucket of icy cold water had been poured over him as even Gaius paused in his ministrations, as did Merlin, to stare at her.

She reached up with her free hand, the one Merlin had let go of to fetch the blanket and rested it on the side of his face, seeming not even aware she was doing so as her fingertips ghosted the edge of his hair, "You've the same hair…" she lowered her hand a bit, "…and eyes…" then allowed her hand to cup his chin, "...the same smile too…" before letting it fall back to the bed, too weak to hold it up any longer.

He nodded, feeling as though a vice had gripped his heart as the implication of what she was saying hit him, "Sleep," he commanded softly, his hand gripping hers a bit more.

She nodded drowsily and shut her eyes.

~8~

A day or so later would find Arthur, Morgana, and Uther standing at the castle wall, watching as King Bayard and his men returned to their own kingdom. The whole war had been called off when Gaius had presented the king with evidence that the poison had been crafted by a sorceress named Nimueh.

"Ok," Morgana started, smirking, "Let the bragging begin. How'd you manage it?"

Arthur knew what she was trying to do, lighten his mood. Ever since Marayna had woken up from her brief stint with death, he had been a very solemn man. It had terrified him more than words could say to know that he had lost the woman even for those few moments and he had no idea why it was affecting him so deeply, "I'm not sure," he replied honestly, "All I do know is I had help. Someone knew I was in trouble and sent a light to guide the way."

"Who?"

"I don't know. Whoever it was, I'm only here because of them."

"I'm glad you're back," she smiled softly before nodding and leaving, most likely to check on Merlin he thought.

"Arthur?" he heard his father speak and step up to him, "The woman you met in the forest, what did she tell you?"

After Marayna had fallen asleep, he had gone to inform his father of his success, telling him about the cockatrice, the spiders, and the woman in the woods. He'd left out the glowing orb of course, his father could only handle so much magic at a time.

"Not much," he remarked, "She was too busy trying to get me killed. It was strange though."

"In what way?"

"I was at her mercy, she could have finished me off...but she chose not to," he frowned in remembrance, "She said it wasn't my destiny to die at her hand."

"You must have been scared," Uther commented off-handedly, though both of them knew he was speaking of both the adventure and the near (and actual) death of his servants.

"It had its moments," his son shrugged, trying in vain to shake off the terror that gripped his heart in the remembrance of Marayna's still form and the sight of her brother begging her not to go, the words he could admit he might have possibly wanted to say himself but hadn't the courage, though it would have been done with less tears and pleas and 'girly words.'

Uther nodded, "Those who practice magic know only evil. They despise, and seek to destroy, goodness wherever they find it. Which is why she wanted you dead. She is _evil_."

Arthur glanced as his father, knowing that his words had slowly changed from a lecture to his own thoughts, "Sounds as if you know her."

"I do," his father admitted, before continuing, "To know the heart of once sorcerer is to know them all," he glanced at his son, "You did the right thing, even though you were disobeying me. I'm proud of you Arthur, never forget that. And your servants are very lucky to have you as their master. Someone must have been watching over them for you as you went for the flower."

Arthur nodded, "I think it was mother."

Uther turned sharply to face his son, "Why do you say that?"

Arthur's jaw clenched, "When Mara…came back," he couldn't bring himself to say 'died,' "She said that mother was beautiful, and I had her hair, eyes, and smile."

Uther smiled gently as he looked upon his son, "It's true, you do."

Arthur turned to face him, "How could she have _known_ that?"

And then Uther realized why his son thought Ygraine was looking over the servants. There were no portraits of his late wife in the castle, save in his own room, which neither of Arthur's servants had been in, nor did_ anyone_ speak of her. He was fairly certain Gaius would never mention Ygraine to them either, he had far too much respect for his king to go talking about painful memories like that to just anyone. The only way the girl could have known those details about Arthur...was if she truly had seen Ygraine.

Uther watched as his son walked back into the castle and very nearly smiled at the thought that Ygraine had taken an interest in the girl, he had to admit, she did seem the sort that his Ygraine would have loved like a daughter.

But then again, his wife had always had a fondness for servants and those of lower birth, kept spouting on about the 'rubbish nonsense of stations' and the like.

~8~

Marayna glare at the spoon hovering before her face. Stupid poison, stupid fever, stupid prince. She was still very weak from the poison and her near death. She was still alive, so she refuse to think that she had actually died. It also comforted her to know that she hadn't, in fact, left those she cared about behind. Now she could only pray that Gaius and Merlin never mentioned this to her mother or there would be hell to pay.

She opened her mouth, allowing the spoon to come to her and took the food. She chewed as she watched the spoon dip back into her dinner mush and rise again, her eyes briefly flashing gold with each move as she used her magic to feed herself.

It was embarrassing.

There was a chuckle behind her which moved to in front of her as her brother sat down across from her at the table, "Still a bit weak?" he asked, smirking. He knew it irritated her to be weak or sick and this was one of the few times he would be able to get to her without her fighting back and punching his arm like she always did. He also just wanted to get back to how things were, put the whole 'you died' event behind them and pretend like it never happened, something he knew she would be grateful for.

She stuck out her tongue at him and opened her mouth for the spoon once more. It dipped down and was just in the process of rising once again when Merlin reached out and grabbed it. She was about to ask why he'd done that, when a voice spoke from behind her, "Still alive, then?"

She looked over her shoulder to see Arthur walking into the room.

"Yeah, just about," Merlin smiled, putting the spoon down, breathing a sigh of relief that Arthur hadn't seen anything, "And I understand we have you to thank for that."

"Yeah, well, it was nothing," Arthur mumbled, looking away, clearly uncomfortable with the situation, "Half-decent servants are hard to come by. I was only dropping by to see if you were alright. I'm sure you'll be back to work tomorrow," he glanced at Marayna.

"Oh, yeah, yeah of course, bright and early," Marayna replied, her sarcasm back in full.

Arthur couldn't help but smile at it though, he'd take that over her deathly quiet any day, "Good. Merlin," Merlin perked up, "Tonight I'm going to need you to sharpen my sword, polish my armor, straighten my chambers, and mend my jacket from the banquet."

Merlin groaned and moved to stand, gasping and rushing to his sister's side as she tried to stand as well. Arthur jerked forward, about to catch her as she fell, but Merlin had gotten to her first, "What do you think you're doing?" Merlin asked, glaring at his sister and setting her down again.

"I'm not about to let him dump all the chores on you just because I'm not quite well yet," she replied, "I'll do my part."

"Oh?" Merlin scoffed, a bit amused, "How?"

"I'll sit and polish and mend," she answered, crossing her arms and sticking her nose up as though that were the end of the conversation.

"And how're you going to manage to do that?" Merlin laughed, "You can barely lift a spoon let alone a polishing brush."

Before she could give her reply, Arthur spoke again, a thoughtful look on his face, "Perhaps the chores can wait a day or two."

Marayna eyed him, a small smile on her face which he returned, nodding as he turned to leave, "Arthur?" Marayna called and he turned to face them once more, "Thank you," she offered, speaking genuinely, and he knew she wasn't talking just about the chores.

"You too," he nodded back, his smile widening, "Get some rest," and with that, he left the room.

Gaius looked over at his niece and nephew from his place standing at his work bench, "Arthur may give you a hard time, but, at heart, he's a man of honor," he commented, making sure to close the door so Marayna could use her magic again before placing a plate before Merlin, "There aren't many who would risk what he did for servants."

"It all would've been for nothing if you didn't know how to make the antidote," Merlin praised.

"Eat your dinner," Gaius replied, a small smile on his face.

"I still don't get why Nimueh tried to frame Bayard," Marayna brought up as she swallowed her next bite, "If she really wanted to kill Arthur, she just had to stand there and watch. He would have drank the poison if we hadn't warned him."

"Destroying Arthur and Camelot wasn't all she was after," Gaius stated as though it should be obvious, "She knew at least one of you would be forced to drink that wine, and she knew the other wouldn't let the one suffer alone. It was _you_ she wanted to kill, the both of you. Seems someone else knows you're both destined for great things."

Marayna turned to glance at her brother, '_So Nimueh fooled us all and poisoned the goblet?_' Merlin nodded, not sure why she was asking, Gaius had explained everything that morning. Marayna smirked, '_Told you so_,' she whispered to him.

Merlin couldn't help but smile at that and roll his eyes, even after everything that happened...his sister still managed to remain a brat.

A/N: I sort of wanted Uther to have a tiny redeeming moment here and recalling the honor of a knight, repaying debts and whatnot :) I sort of switched around that scene, making Arthur's return with the flower just as late as it was in the show because he was stopped by Uther a second time earlier :)

We'll definitely be seeing the start of the Merlin/Morgana portion coming up now as well :) My thoughts are that, with Marayna there to help Merlin keep an eye on Arthur, he can actually take time for himself when he needs to, he doesn't have to focus as much on Arthur and can start to...notice other things ;) The small interactions that he's had with Morgana in the past really started to form a connection between them (that and Morgana's dream we have yet to learn about ;)) and we'll see that grow along with Arthur and Marayna's ;)

We'll be seeing Arthur and Morgana's thoughts and them coming to terms with the events of this chapter VERY soon ;)

Hieran ac lóclóca - Hear and See!

Some notes on reviews...

Urry will be mentioned throughout the Prophecies, but we will see him again, I won't say when or how often, but I can say...this isn't the last we've seen of him }:)

Lol, I can't say what's coming for Mordred, but I have BIG plans for him }:)

And a Happy (belated) Birthday to livelifeforevermore of tumblr! :) (I wasn't sure if you had a FF profile but I wanted to give a shout out) :) I love giving birthday wishes so I hope you had a fantastic day! ^-^


	6. The Forest Bull

The Forest Bull

Marayna crept quietly though the castle, down the large flight of stairs that would lead her to the Dragon's dwelling place. For once, the Dragon was actually out, perched on his rock, so she would not have to call out for him. He glanced at her amusedly, though she could detect a bit of confusion in his eyes, clearly he hadn't been expecting her to show up. She could understand it though, the only other times she or Merlin had come to see him was when there had been a threat against Camelot, or when she'd tried to pry more into her supposed-destiny, but never really just came down to see him.

"And what does the young witch need my help with this time?" he asked, eyeing her critically.

"I don't need your help," she replied, offering him a small smile, pleased she was able to surprise him.

"Really?" the Dragon lifted (what she assumed was) a scaly eyebrow clearly amused by her statement, clearly not entirely believing it either, "It would seem that has never been the case before. You and your brother only seek me out if there is something above your heads that you cannot defeat."

She shook her head, "There is no creature this time," she answered, "But...I _am_ curious about something."

"And that would be," the Dragon grinned, expecting her to ask some sort of question about her destiny or her brother's or some way to get out of marrying Arthur...

"What was it like?"

Had the Dragon not been an old, majestic creature of power, he would have fallen flat on his face from the question. That was _not_ what he was thinking she would ask, "What was what like?"

"Everything," she smiled, giving a small laugh. She turned, placing the torch into a sort of crack in the wall, wedging it in there so it wouldn't fall before she turned to the Dragon once more, eager, "What's it like to fly? What have you seen? Surely you must have seen hundreds of civilizations rise and fall in your time, what were they like?"

The Dragon blinked and stared down at her, shock in his eyes. No one had ever...taken an interest in _his_ life before. He couldn't help but smile at her though, now he would get his chance to tell the stories he never thought he would, "You'd best make yourself comfortable," he replied, leaning back as she took a seat, plopping down on the dirt floors, uncaring if it stained her 'precious dress' (take that Arthur!), and leaning against the cavern wall, "You're in for quite a tale."

~8~

And so she was.

She had no idea the Dragon was so old! Not that that was a bad thing, but she could tell he glossed over much of his story. It seemed he wanted her to get a general idea of everything he had seen so she could ask for a particular story in detail. He had seen the rise of the Roman Empire, the beginnings of Egypt, the start of civilization in general! He had seen hundreds of lands, China, Egypt, Africa, India, even continents as large as Europe lying to the west. He'd seen epic battles and times of peace. He'd defeated armies by himself and fought with the greatest of dragons, which sparked her curiosity.

"How on earth did Uther manage to capture you?" she breathed, her eyes still wide in shock at everything she had heard. There was no way humanly possible that Uther could have captured him short of the Dragon willingly giving himself up, and she doubted that was the case.

The Dragon's smile faded slightly, "I made a very important decision, which weakened me greatly," he replied, before shaking his head, "But that is a story for another time."

"Why can't you tell it now?" she frowned.

He laughed, "Because, it is already daybreak, and I am sure your master has many chores in store for you."

Her eyes widened even more as she jumped to her feet, "It's dawn already!?" she turned to leave, having come there in the middle of the night to be safe, but hesitated for a moment. She turned to look at the Dragon, "There is one other question I have," she began slowly, "It's been bothering me for a day or so now."

"Yes?" he smirked, able to guess what her topic would be.

She took a breath, "When Merlin was about to drink the poison, I told him that _I_ would do it because my destiny is less important than his. That, without me, Arthur would still be king, but without _him_, everything would be destroyed," the Dragon nodded, waiting for her to continue, "I don't know why I said it, but I think it may be true. Do you know why?"

She really didn't know why she'd said it. Sometimes things like that happened, her 'woman's intuition' kicked in and she'd be able to guess things like that. It wasn't anything big, she was completely certain that she couldn't see the future, not like Morgana could. There were...other things she could see at times, but NOT the future, not at all. It was more...she could tell when someone was lying to her, she could guess when a book would hold no answers, she could pick the right object in a trick, really very small things, nothing very extreme.

"I do," he answered, beginning to smile.

She stared at him, "But you're not going to tell me, are you?"

He laughed, "Not today, no," he replied, "But I shall, one day soon."

She sighed, shaking her head before making her way out of the cavern. At least she'd been able to get clear meaning from him before. It figured, the Dragon would talk about himself all he wanted in crystal clarity, but not answer questions about anything else.

~8~

Arthur hadn't been joking when he said that the chores could wait a day or so for her and Merlin to recover from being poisoned. They only thing she and Merlin hadn't counted on was Arthur being a complete slob! _Two days_ after the incident with the chalice and they were back at work with what seemed like _a week's_ worth of mess to sort through. She and Merlin had spent the last_ four days_ getting the chores done, it was torture!

Currently she was standing behind Arthur as he had dinner with his father and Morgana. She could barely keep her face stoic as she watched her brother and Morgana eyeing each other across the room as Merlin waited on Arthur's goblet while she fetched his food from the center, little roles they seemed to have fallen into when meals came around. Apparently, after Merlin had woken from the poison, Morgana had kissed him. They _still_ had yet to talk about the kiss, but if their smiles said anything, at least neither regretted it. Though, knowing Morgana, Merlin wouldn't have to wait long before discussing what it meant. Morgana seemed like the sort to hold nothing back and be completely open about what she felt, voicing her thoughts to any who would listen. And Merlin was most certainly the sort to listen to what others had to say.

"So there's been no progress?" Arthur asked, drawing her out of her thoughts.

Uther sighed, "None at all. Not even Robert can get close to her anymore."

"What'll you do?" Arthur leaned forward, a concerned frown on his face.

Marayna was confused for a moment, until she remembered what they had been talking about before she had gone off to another world. Uther had been informed by Robert, Aurora's caretaker, that she was not acting herself. She was skittish and not eating much and making more noise than normal, she reared up and snorted threateningly whenever Robert or others (even UTHER!) tried to get near her. Marayna couldn't blame the poor horse, after suffering under Urry's hand, she could understand it being frightened of men. She had enough sense to be able to recognize that Urry wasn't other men in general, she could recognize that others were different, but Aurora, with how dark it had been in the stables probably couldn't tell exactly who it had been but just been able to tell from the tone of voice that it was a man.

She felt rather guilty to admit, but...she DID feel a bit tense around the other knights when she and Merlin were to wait upon Arthur during his training. Merlin always stood closer to her, but the other knights tried to be considerate of her. She was honestly torn between how she felt about their actions and reactions around her. She was grateful they were trying to prove in their caution that they were disgusted by what Urry had done and that they would not do the same. But at the same time, sometimes she caught them looking at her with pity, and she absolutely HATED that. She had gotten enough pity in her life from those in Ealdor, she didn't need it from nobles too.

Uther didn't answer the question, he could only hope that Aurora would soon come to trust him again, it would...truly break his heart to have his wife's horse, his gift to her, squirm away from him in fear. He glanced up to see the girl, Marayna he recalled, standing behind Arthur, a small plate that she was meant to put the food on in hand, a thoughtful expression on her face...

~8~

Merlin had just gone to bring Morgana her draught from Gaius, a potion he prepared to help her sleep as she seemed to be having nightmares recently, when Gaius himself retired for the night. Marayna claimed she would stay awake a bit longer and study her magic, perhaps wait for Merlin to come back, which her uncle accepted, of course.

She would never lie to her uncle…

Right.

She was quiet as a mouse as she snuck out of the room and into the hallway. Merlin had yet to come back and she was determined to get out of the castle before he returned. Usually, this late at night, Merlin would see the lights off and sneak into the room, roll onto his small cot, and fall asleep. He would never notice she was not in the room.

It was pitch black as she stumbled her way towards the stables. She had her work cut out for her in not tripping as the path down was not exactly smooth or even and she nearly tripped half a dozen times before she reached them. It wasn't like she could light a torch for the way, she did _not_ want it to be seen from the castle nor could she cast a spell to see in the dark, she hadn't read of one yet and she'd rather not accidently blind herself in an attempt at recalling some spell or another nor did she want to risk using wild magic on her eyes.

She reached Uther's stables, and bit her lip as she tried to open the door as quietly as possible as she didn't want it to squeak and startle the horses. Of course, because it was HER, it _would_ squeak. That was just her luck, but thankfully the horses hadn't been spooked. She carefully slipped into the stables and shut the door behind her. She rolled her eyes as it didn't squeak when she shut it. Of course not.

She tiptoed over to a small lantern resting on a barrel and picked it up, looking around and listening carefully for any sign of someone else being there before focusing on the lantern again, "_Leohtbora_," she whispered, smiling as a small flame ignited, casting a warm light around her.

However her smile fell when it illuminated the stables. She swallowed hard, seeing the sconce she'd been chained to, seeing the manacles still lying on the ground, partially covered in hay which explained why they hadn't been moved yet. She blinked, staring at that spot, faintly able to hear the sounds of the riding crop hitting flesh, before she shook her head sharply. She swallowed hard and turned away quickly, no...no she was NOT going to do this. Not now. That wasn't why she was there. She wasn't there to confront her own demons, she was there for another purpose.

She took a breath and held the lantern high, making her way towards the last stall where she knew Aurora to be kept. She paused as she heard a squeak, looking back over her shoulder, but when she saw nothing she continued on.

She reached the stall, frowning as she saw the horse still awake, standing against the back wall as far from the stall entrance as she could get, "Oh Aurora," she murmured, looking at the small scars on its hide, as the horse turned its head to look at her, "I'm _so_ sorry I didn't get to you sooner."

She carefully rested the lantern on the stall's edge and opened it. Aurora made a bit of a step in place but didn't move other than that which she took as a good sign. She quickly slipped inside the stall and shut it behind her, standing against the stall door, not moving so as not to disturb the horse. She waited till Aurora blinked before she took a single step in...

But Aurora neighed and so she stopped.

"It's ok," she whispered, holding up her two hands so the horse could see she held nothing that could harm her, "I won't hurt you," she took a slow step, "I would never hurt you," she made sure she continued to talk in soothing tones so the horse wouldn't be spooked again, "Remember me?" she smiled, "I came to help you. I got him to _stop_. He's gone, he won't hurt you again. He won't hurt me either."

She hadn't intended to say that last part but, seeing as how it was true, she couldn't take it back. She was standing in front of the horse now, one of her hands raised only inches from the horse's face. Aurora hadn't moved at all during her drawing closer but she wasn't sure whether or not to take that as a good thing or a bad thing. Aurora either trusted her or was too scared to do anything...she hoped it was the first.

She reached out a bit more, took one more step, and gently laid her hand on the horse's snout. She sighed, smiling as the horse nuzzled her hand a moment later and moved to stroke her, "There we go, you beautiful girl," she cooed, reaching out another hand to run her hands through Aurora's mane, "See? It's alright. I promised I wouldn't hurt you. There we go."

She could see the horse relax, seeming to know that the woman before her truly would not hurt her, that the woman was not the man from before, that she was the one who rescued her. She was the _nice_ human.

She stepped to the left, patting and petting Aurora's back until she neared the hind. She could dimly see in the lantern light that the red wounds had healed, faded into clay colored scars. She reached out hesitantly and gently felt along a scar. Aurora gave a start and Marayna quickly pulled her hand away and moved back to the horse's head, staring at her, petting her snout with both hands to calm her.

"Hey, it's ok," she soothed, calming the horse slightly, "I understand, really I do..." she turned, lifting her hair from her neck where a few red scars could still be seen from the neckline of her dress, "I have them too."

She didn't know why she was showing the horse her scars. She doubted Aurora could understand or make the connection, but it seemed she was wrong. A moment later, she felt Aurora press her nose against her back, not hard, but more of a gentle nudging. She turned to see the horse staring at her and she smiled at that. She reached out, now not hesitating at all as she stroked the horse's snout, "We're one in the same, you and I," she murmured, "We'll forever share the same scars it seems."

Aurora snorted with what Marayna could only guess was agreement or understanding. She smiled a bit more as the lovely horse nuzzled her hand, nipping lightly at her palm.

"You've no idea how sorry I am that you do," a voice said to her right.

She gasped and snapped her head in that direction to see Arthur standing outside the stall's entrance, staring at her with what seemed like a mix of anger, sadness, and regret swimming in his eyes.

"I've no idea why," she remarked, turning back to focus on Aurora, who was tense once more now that a man was there, "You should have nothing to be sorry for. You weren't the one to do this, you weren't the one holding the riding crop," she glanced at him, "YOU were the one who saw to it that Urry was banished."

"Still," he mumbled, sighing deeply, "I knew Urry would react badly to being beaten, even if it was barely so, I should have said something to him to warn him away from it."

"If Urry was willing to let his anger control him, then he had no business being a knight," Marayna countered, stroking Aurora's snout more as Arthur eyed them.

"She hasn't let anyone near her since Urry you know."

"I do," she nodded, "I suppose she trusts me."

"Well, you_ did_ save her."

Marayna frowned at that, "Not all people whose lives are saved trust their saviors."

Arthur flinched immediately, knowing that she was referring to the incidents with his lack of trust in Merlin even after he saved his life. It seemed she would never forgive him for that. And he supposed she would be justified in that. Until the day came where he fully believed what Merlin said without hesitation or doubt she wouldn't forgive him for his doubts. She was right, Merlin had saved his life on more than one occasion, yet he hadn't exactly proven he trusted his manservant.

His thoughts were broken as Marayna quickly turned to face him, "Come here."

"What?" he blinked. Had she not heard a word that was said at dinner? Aurora didn't seem to trust anyone except Marayna, especially not men.

"Come here," she repeated, rolling her eyes as though she thought he were dumb, "Aurora needs to learn that she _can_ trust others besides me. She'll never be able to if no one tries."

"Robert's tried," he argued, "So has my father."

"But she didn't have some she trusted telling her it would be alright did she? Now, are you going to come here or am I going to have to drag you in?"

He would have laughed at the image of her trying to drag him somewhere...when he realized that she probably could. She was much stronger than she appeared, both emotionally and physically, not many women could endure a beating like the one Urry had given her and still be as...strong and normal around men. Though he had yet to _see_ the physical muscles, he knew they were there, he'd felt them when he'd carried her to Gaius's when she'd been poisoned. Not to mention, he knew that he hadn't the will to physically fight her on anything...he would feel too much like Urry if he did.

Cautiously, Arthur opened the gate to the stall and slipped inside. He could see Aurora eyeing him nervously and stepping in place as he locked the door behind him. Marayna continued to whisper calming words and promises that everything would be alright as she stroked the horse's snout, "Now...very slowly, make your way over. Raise your hands a bit as you do."

Any other day, he would have rolled his eyes and told her that he was the Prince, _he_ would be the one giving orders. But this was quite a serious matter. Aurora was a special horse to him and his father and if Marayna could get her to trust at least them again, it would be worth it to bear the humiliation of following a servant's orders.

So, slowly, he made his way towards the horse and lifting his hands as he went, pausing as she grew nervous, but continuing as Marayna calmed her. Soon, he was close enough where, if he extended an arm straight out, he could touch the horse...

"Stop," Marayna ordered as she saw him trying to do just that.

"But I thought I was supposed to come closer," he nearly snapped, only seeing her glare kept him from doing so, "What's the point of raising my hands if I'm not going to pet her?"

"The point at raising your hands is to show Aurora that you don't have anything to hit her with," she answered, rolling her eyes again, "And stopping is to show her that you won't touch her if she doesn't want you to. Stand just like that until she nuzzles your hand. It shows her that you won't do anything until she's comfortable."

"So I just stand here like a bloody idiot for who knows how long?" this time he _did_ snap.

"I don't see why you're so upset, you've had plenty of practice standing somewhere looking like an idiot before," she remarked dryly, before smirking, "I'd wipe the scowl off your face, wouldn't want to scare Aurora," he nearly scowled more at that, but then she added, "Wouldn't want to seem ungrateful now would you?"

And there she went, throwing the words he'd said to her in the market when trying to get her dresses back at him. It was then that he realized...she was partially right. Not about the idiot thing of course, but about the scowl. It really _would_ scare Aurora if he kept up his menacing stare. And after everything Marayna had been through, he should just consider himself lucky she was willing to enter the stables to help the horse in the first place.

With a great deal of effort, he managed to relax his features into what he hoped looked like a reassuring smile. He chose to ignore Marayna's playful grimaces at his attempts.

He stood there for what seemed like hours, his arms held out in the air, waiting for permission...from a horse. It wasn't till he had been standing there for quite a while that he realized how ridiculous that statement was. He was just about to pull his hands away and scold his servant for making a fool out of him...when something slightly cold and wet grazed his hand.

He looked down to see Aurora nipping at one of his hands, snorting into it. He glanced up at Marayna to see her grinning back at him, his own cocky grin mirrored on her face. He tentatively reached out to brush his hand against the horse's snout, smiling as she nuzzled into his hand more. Taking a step forward he began to stroke her white mane, feeling the horse relax under his hands.

"I wouldn't touch her scars just yet," Marayna warned, smiling as Aurora returned her attention to the girl before her, "It's a rather touchy subject. Maybe in a few months she'll feel comfortable enough, maybe even a few weeks, but until then…"

She trailed and he understood what she meant, though he had the faintest idea that she may not be just talking about the horse. He looked back at Aurora, "Do you think she trusts me again?"

"I don't think she had a reason not to trust you, she's just spooked," Marayna shrugged after a moment of thought, "It might just be that, right now, she feels very comfortable and safe. She knows nothing bad will happen to her if you're here."

It was the 'you're' that made him fully aware of the fact that Marayna was most certainly _not_ just talking about Aurora. Had she been, she would have said '_we're_' instead. He chose not to comment on that brief slip. Instead, a rather warm feeling spread through him at the notion that Marayna trusted him, even after the Urry incident, and that she _did_ feel safe with him.

He couldn't stop the smile that spread across his face at that...nor, it seemed, could he stop her from noticing it, "What?" she asked.

"Nothing," he said quickly, "When do you suppose she'll be ready for my father?"

Marayna sighed, Uther was...a rather intimidating man, even when he wasn't trying to be, "I don't know. She remembers her trust in you, but I would still be cautious around her, don't make very sudden moves and such. Perhaps when she's completely comfortable around you and you can approach her like normal, you could be the one to reopen her trust in your father as I did with you."

Arthur nodded, glancing over at the girl, "Well, we'd best be off," he muttered, stepping slowly away from the horse, motioning for Marayna to do the same, "We've a full day ahead of us."

"We?" she looked at him, giving Aurora one last pet before leaving the stall and following Arthur outside, "I thought you gave Merlin and I the day off, since you would be else wise detained?"

Arthur sighed, "I did. I will be."

"I'm not certain I understand," she frowned, he really was making no sense at all.

"Tomorrow I must awaken early, dine with father, prepare the new knights for training, examine the guards, attend a delegation meeting with my father, inspect the staff, dine with my father again and then do border patrol," he reached up and rubbed his head, already a headache was starting just _thinking_ about tomorrow.

Marayna couldn't help but giggle a bit, _finally_ he was getting a taste at what servants had to do, "I never thought I'd see the day," she muttered between giggles and Arthur's glares, "The prince has more chores than the servants!"

"Ha ha," he rolled his eyes, sarcasm dripping from his words, "It's not as though I can just slack off like the servants do."

"Why can't you?" she shook her head, asking in all seriousness.

"If I slack off at a meeting with neighboring dignitaries, a war will break out."

"I highly doubt that," she scoffed, but then an idea struck her, "What if there was a way to ensure that you could 'slack off' as you call it, and prevent a war at the same time?"

"And what way would that be?"

"How can a war start because you slack off if you are not there to slack off?" she smirked.

"How could I be sure a war won't start because I'm not there?" he countered.

"The king will be there, yes?" he nodded, "I don't think he'd allow the kingdom to go to war just because his son didn't come to _one_ meeting."

"But when I'm king…"

"_When_ you're king, but you're not _now_ are you? I doubt a day of slacking would kill you."

"You'd be surprised," he muttered, "My father would_ murder_ me."

"Ah, but then he'd have no heir, so I think you're safe," she smiled victoriously, "All you need to do is meet me at the back gates at dawn."

"Mara…" he nearly whined.

"Artie…" she mimicked.

"Artie?" he blinked, actually stopping to look at her, stunned at that, "Where on earth did you get_ tha_t from?"

"What?" she shook her head, smiling, "You can give me a nickname, but I can't give you one?"

"It's highly unfitting for a servant to address their master as anything but Sire, Lord, or Master," he stated, as though reciting something, "And anyway...Artie as a _horrid_ nickname."

The smile on her face grew positively evil, "Well, I suppose I shall have to refrain from calling you Artie then…"

"Thank you," he began.

"If you meet me at dawn that is," she finished, "Else, I shall be forced to forever call you Prince Artie."

"You're blackmailing me now, is that it?" he couldn't help the smile from cracking on his face.

"I like to think of it more as...a challenge."

"Well, I shall have you know that a prince _never_ backs down from a challenge."

"So, dawn then?" she asked and he nodded. She smiled, walking off, fading into the shadows at the back of the castle, near Gaius's chambers, "I shall see you then Artie."

Arthur stood there a few moments after she had disappeared, before he blinked, realizing what he'd just agreed to, "How does she do that?" he murmured, wondering what he had just gotten himself into.

~8~

"And where have you been all night?" Merlin called as he heard his sister sneaking into the room.

"A better question would be, where have _you_ been?" she countered, smiling in the darkness.

"W-what do you m-mean?" he stammered, "I've been here, waiting f-for you."

Marayna laughed, "Merlin, you and I both know that whenever you're anywhere near a bed at night you pass out on it. You would have been out _long_ before I got back without even noticing I wasn't here. The fact that you're awake tells me that you just got back as well. So," she grinned, plopping down on her own cot, "Where were you?"

Merlin didn't answer, so she continued to speak, "Last I heard, Gaius sent you to deliver the sleeping draught to Morgana and…" she froze as if just realizing where her brother had been, "You spent all this time with Morgana didn't you?!"

"Shhh!" he hissed, pausing to listen for the sounds of Gaius waking. When he heard none he sighed with relief, "If you must know, yes, I was with Morgana."

"Do tell," she shifted to the edge of her cot to listen.

"I don't want to," he half-whined.

"Honestly Merlin," she sighed, rolling her eyes, "I've gotten enough whining out of Arthur tonight, not you too!"

"Arthur?" he perked up, hearing her curse under her breath at what she'd let slip just then, "So you were with Arthur. Pray tell," he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and clasping his hands below his chin, grinning as well, "What were _you_ doing?"

She glared at him though she knew he couldn't see it in the darkness of the room, "I'll tell you if you tell me."

Merlin sighed, "Fine," he mumbled something about bratty sisters under his breath, oomphing when said bratty sister threw a well-aimed pillow at his head, "Keep that up and I'll tell you squat!" he laughed, before setting the pillow on his lap and holding out his hands for her to take. She knew he wouldn't actually_ say_ anything to her about his meeting with Morgana, he was far too shy to speak out loud about a meeting with a woman, so she was expecting him to just show her instead.

She reached out and grabbed his hands, closing her eyes and opened her mind for him to show her what had happened...

~8~

_Merlin knocked gently on the door of Morgana's chambers, waiting only a moment before it opened to reveal Morgana in her night dress and shawl. Merlin's mouth dropped open at the sight of her in all her simplistic beauty, his mind not even registering the fact that it was probably highly improper for him to see her like that._

_"Hello Merlin," Morgana greeted, smiling at him._

_"Uh…I…um…" Merlin mumbled incoherently, having been completely thrown off by her, "Draught?" h__e held up the draught as though it explained everything. _

_Morgana laughed at his antics and reached out to take the bottle. Their hands brushed as she took it though, a shock going through their systems from the contact. She lowered her gaze and stepped aside, silently inviting him into her chambers. _

_Merlin, who was in no fit state to protest much less speak, simply shuffled in._

_They stared at each other for a few moments before speaking at the same time, "I think we should talk," and laughing at the situation._

_"You first, my Lady," he smiled his trademark smile at her._

_She smiled as well before looking down and fiddling with the draught in her hands, "I wished to speak with you about the other day, with the chalice and everything."_

_"Yeah, I wanted to talk to you about that as well," he answered, hoping to make her feel a bit less nervous about their mutual discussion topic._

_"More specifically," she continued, taking a step towards him, he did the same, "The kiss I bestowed upon you when we saw you were well."_

_"Same for me."_

_"I…well, that is to say, I just wanted to let you know that, I, well, I think I rather like you…like having you around! I mean," she said quickly, "I was just...very happy you were alive," she added, stumbling over her words. Gone were all her lessons in speech, which truly alarmed her. She was usually so open, so vocal about anything on her mind and yet, at that moment, she was hardly able to form a single complete sentence. It was...quite unsettling to her, but she just...couldn't seem to help it, that moment...seeing him like that when he'd been poisoned, watching him slowly dying...it had frightened her in a way she hadn't been frightened before and she was only just starting to gather why, "I just…wanted you to know that. I'm happy you're ok."_

_"Me too," he grinned, "I shall have to be poisoned more often," he joked, trying to lighten the uncomfortable mood._

_She smiled faintly, "Don't even think about it," she looked down to the draught now clutched in her hands and sighed, "I suppose I should drink this, yes?"_

_"I think so," he nodded and, without hesitating, Morgana opened the vial and downed it. Just as soon as she finished swallowing, she swayed on her feet, this potion was stronger than the last one, "I got you," Merlin murmured gently as he caught her arm. He led her quickly to the bed and pulled the covers on top her as she laid down, the covers already having been turned down for the night before Gwen had been dismissed. _

_He was about to leave when she caught his wrist, __"Will you stay?" she asked sleepily, "Till I'm asleep?"_

_He smiled and nodded, pulling up a chair next to her to sit down on. She smiled at him, thanks shining in her eyes as they fluttered closed and her breathing evened out. Gaius had only vaguely mentioned her nightmares to him and Marayna, he knew that they were upsetting to the young woman before him and, anything he could do to try and make her more comfortable, feel more secured so that she wouldn't have any, he'd try his best to do. He sat there for a while, just watching her sleep, seeing her relaxed and peaceful put an even wider smile on his face._

_He got up to leave when he realized the room was rather warm. Turning, he moved to open the window just a crack...when he heard a muffled cry. He turned quickly to see Morgana starting to twist in bed, her face contorting with fear, a nightmare settling in. He quickly moved to her side and reached out, grabbing her hand in his own, squeezing it comfortingly. She twisted a bit more, her dreams taking a dark turn, but then suddenly settled down once more._

_He let out a breath of relief but did not remove his hand from hers. He knelt there, at the edge of her bed for another half hour before standing and gently pulling his hand from her own. He reached out, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear before quietly making his way out of her room and back to his own, hoping her dreams continued to be good._

~8~

Marayna opened her eyes, a soft smile on her face at Morgana's small slip and attempted cover-up. She looked up to see her brother staring at her expectantly, "Oh!" she flushed, before holding out her hands once more for him to take. She showed him what had happened at the stables and her discussion with Arthur on the way back and a small portion of her plans for tomorrow. When she opened her eyes once again she could faintly see her brother smirking at her, "What?"

"Really Aya?" he laughed, "What are you trying to do? Corrupt the prince? Pulling him away from his duties for a day of adventure in the woods."

She laughed as well, "Of course I am," she winked, "In the forest no one can hear him scream."

He almost thought his sister was serious before he realized she was joking, "Just be careful, most of the creatures that attack Camelot tend to come from the forest."

"I know," she sighed, laying down on her cot, crossing her arms behind her head and her legs out before her, staring at the ceiling in the dark, "We won't go too far away, and I'll be sure to be on guard," Merlin opened his mouth to speak but his sister seemed to have read his thoughts, "And I promise not to corrupt him too much. Can't have a king who shirks his duties ALL the time now can we?"

Merlin just laughed and rolled onto his back as well.

~8~

True to his word, Arthur was waiting at the back gates of Camelot at dawn for Marayna to show up. He grumbled to himself as he stared at the rising sun. He had been there for at least ten minutes now and Marayna was nowhere in sight. He was just about to leave when he saw the girl rushing down the path towards him. He almost fell over from shock when he saw she was wearing a _skirt_, a white one, with a white tunic of hers. He would have thought that she would return to her leggings for a day spent away from duties. But there she was nearly tripping over it, literally stumbling from it, before rolling her eyes and hiking it up just enough that he could see her brown boots as she ran towards him.

"I'm sorry I'm late," she huffed, trying to catch her breath, "I ran into Morgana in the hall and she _insisted_ that I wear a skirt today. I've no idea why."

Well that answered that.

"As I said before," he remarked, "I'm getting quite used to you and your brother's lateness."

She rolled her eyes at him, "Follow me," was all she said to that, heading off towards the forest.

They walked a good distance in silence before Arthur couldn't take it anymore, "Where are we going?"

"Nowhere," she answered, shrugging, "Anywhere. Everywhere," even as she said it, she couldn't help but feel like she was spending _far_ too much time with the Dragon, that was rather cryptic and not straightforward at all.

"That's really no help, thanks," he grumbled.

"That's the point," she cheered, "Today," she let out a happy breath, "We do whatever we want. No fighting, no hunting, no meetings, no chores."

"What else is there to do?" he was truly bewildered by the thought that there could be anything besides that to do.

She started laughing before she realized, "You're serious?" she blinked and shook her head, a bit...surprised at that. In Ealdor, it was often nonstop work tending the fields and maintaining their homes and preparing for winter and harvest and all sorts of things...but they still managed to have fun. She had to idly wonder if Arthur even knew what that was, outside the context of throwing knives at servants and watching them toil away doing chores. She had to suppose that he didn't get much of it with Uther as his father, "Well," she began, thinking, "We could walk for a while, explore the woods a bit, talk. We could go swimming in the lake, or lay in the fields, or climb a tree, anything really."

He smiled a bit, those were all fairly stupid ideas as far as he was concerned, but there was just...something about the idea of doing them with Marayna that made him think it might not be so bad. Actually, it was the thought of doing them at all that was...intriguing, he hadn't really...ever...done much of any of those things when he'd been a boy, it had been lessons and training and staying safe in the castle and whatnot, "Well then, while we are walking and exploring, what shall we talk about?"

Marayna shrugged, "Anything at all."

He shook his head, she was really _no_ help at all. He was quiet for a few moments, trying to think of something to say, "How did you know how to handle Aurora?"

It came out of nowhere, but he realized, he truly _was_ curious about it nonetheless.

"I really have no idea," she sighed, "It just...seemed like the right way to go about it. I thought of how I would feel if it happened to me which, incidentally, it did. She seems like a very old horse."

"She is. She's nearly 25, but still fit as a fiddle."

"Is she the oldest horse?"

He paused a moment to think, he'd never really considered that. There were always so many horses coming and going and put in the different stables, it was hard to keep track of them, "There's one horse a bit older than her, my grandfather's horse, Bartok."

"Was Bartok in Uther's stables?" she asked, trying to think back to the horses she had seen.

"No, actually, he's in mine. He's a fairly large chestnut-colored horse, has a black frizzy mane. I learned how to ride on him now that I think about it."

"Must have been frightening," she commented, she could only imagine a small Arthur looking up at a large horse and being told he'd have to learn to ride it.

"It was quite fun actually," he smiled, thinking back on it, "Bartok has always been one of the gentlest horses in the stables. He's a bit slow now that he's older, but he's fiercely loyal and protective. One time I went on a ride with him, just a...small bit of fun," one of the very few he'd manage to have, "And decided to climb a tree. Well, I fell out and sprained my ankle, Bartok refused to leave my side until the knights came searching for me."

"Sounds like a sweet horse," she smiled as well, "You'll have to point him out next time we're in the stables."

Arthur nodded and began to chat away about the various horses he had had over the years. This conversation soon led to talks of jousting, which led to the knights, which led to tournaments and combat. They had been talking for nearly three hours and were currently speaking of how she had basically saved Arthur's life during the tournament when she threw him a sword to stop Valiant.

"I shall tell you what I told Morgana," Arthur rolled his eyes in mock anger, "I would have thought of something."

"Oh yes," Marayna snorted, "I'm sure you would have. It would have been something along the lines of, 'Ow, that snake just _bit_ me!'" she giggled at the look of false hurt on Arthur's face.

"You wound me," he held his hand over his heart, which had her laughing out loud.

"I'm sure I could," she commented, a hint of a challenge in her voice.

This time it was Arthur who let out a barking laugh, "Might I remind you, you are speaking to the future king?"

"Oh I'm shaking in my boots," she mocked.

"If you weren't a girl, I'd wrestle some respect out of you," he warned, crossing his arms over his chest.

"As if you could."

His eyes narrowed in play as he puffed out his chest, "I'll have you know, I've wrestled the best men in Camelot."

"Ah," she nodded, "The best _men_, but what about the women?"

He stared at her as though she'd gone mad, "That would be highly improper!"

She turned her head, making a show of looking around at the woods that surrounded them, "I don't see anyone to judge you," before smirking, "Let's have at it."

She unclipped something on her waist, which Arthur realized a moment later was her skirt, and threw it to the side to reveal she _had_ been wearing her leggings, just underneath the skirt, which was more a long strip of fabric that had been wrapped around her. She ignored his shocked look, bent her knees and hunched over just a bit, holding out her hands and motioning for him to come at her.

He shook his head, "You _can't_ be serious."

"Why?" she asked innocently, "Afraid I'll beat you?"

"That's right, I'm so scared of getting beat by a girl," he rolled his eyes.

Marayna smirked, it seemed like someone was_ finally_ learning her sort of humor, "I can tell," she nodded, "Why else would you refuse to fight me?"

"How about, I'd hurt you? You're back is still healing and you were just pois…"

"My back is fine," she cut off, not willing to get into talk of the poisoning or her back, those particular events were ones she wanted to stay buried in the past, and she didn't want his pity about them either so if she had to literally run at him and tackle him to the ground to get this started and prove she was fine...she'd do it, "Besides, it's not like I'd let you get a good enough hold to actually hurt me."

"Is that so?" his eyes narrowed at her as he slowly moved to crouched in preparation for a wrestle.

Though...he had to admit, he was quite thankful she'd cut him off. He...he didn't want to think about either event too. He just...it sickened him to think that he hadn't been able to prevent Urry's attack, that the best he could offer her was the man's banishment. And it...made him feel cold and...something else he wasn't sure of...to think about the poisoning. Seeing her there, pale, unbreathing, literally lifeless...it had shaken him in ways he...honestly wasn't expecting it to. He'd only known Marayna a short time and yet the thought of losing her like that, so suddenly...it had been jarring.

It was almost like he hadn't realized that he really had come to like her presence and company till he'd been faced with the threat of it being removed permanently. He'd actually found himself, on his ride to the forest, replaying every sarcastic remark she'd ever made to him and...hurting to think that he'd never hear her jest with him like that again. Seeing her like that, knowing she and Merlin had given their lives for him, yet again, it had...impacted him, it...made him appreciate her sharp tongue and Merlin's humor.

She nodded, "Care to prove me wrong?"

That was all he needed before he rushed at her, grabbing her forearms and trying to twist her so she would fall over. She simply grabbed his elbows, using him as leverage to maintain her balance, before sticking her foot behind his own and knocked his legs out from under him in a move similar to what she'd used on Urry. As he fell, she maneuvered herself so that she would land on top of him, his arms pinned to the ground on either side of his head. She smirked down at him in victory for only a moment before he flipped them over so that _he_ had_ her_ pinned.

The mutual pinning seemed to be just what they needed to get their wrestling match started. Soon enough they were engaging in head locks, arm holds, among other maneuvers. Neither seemed to be gaining the upper hand until Arthur finally managed to pin Marayna beneath him, his arms holding hers pinned to the ground with his knees pressing her legs down as well.

She was pinned and defeated and she knew it...which was why she was currently glaring up at him, a fine layer of sweat coating both their brows, their hair in disarray, their eyes narrowed at each other...before they both burst out with laughter. Arthur, though did not let up on his hold, but more moved his legs just slightly so that he wasn't hurting her by digging his knees into her thighs.

He shook his head as he stared down at her, "Where did you learn to wrestle?"

She started at him incredulously, "I _do_ have a brother you know."

"Yes, I know," he rolled his eyes, "But he doesn't seem like the wrestling type."

"There aren't many girls in my village," she tried shrugging but couldn't really move her arms as Arthur still had them pinned. Not that she was complaining, she'd always found the ground comfortable after years in their home, where the only bed they'd insisted their mother take when they were old enough to realize their mother should NOT be sleeping on the cold hard ground.

Arthur nodded, that was far more believable than wrestling with her brother. He just...couldn't imagine Merlin wrestling anyone.

He stared down at her again, letting go of one of her arms to brush away some hair that had fallen into her face, having seen her eye twitch a bit as the corner of the strand brushed against it. He smiled softly at her as she looked up at him. His hand moved from the lock of hair to her cheek, gently stroking it as he leaned closer. He could feel Marayna's heart beating wildly beneath him and knew his own heart was beating just as fast. He was just a few inches away from her lips...

When a growl sounded to his right accompanied by a rustling of the bushes.

He looked up just in time to see a Forest Bull, running straight at them. He quickly rolled to the side, taking Marayna with him, as the bull charged past. They sat up quickly, getting a good look at it as it turned to face them once more. It appeared to be a sort of larger breed of red cattle, twice as big as normal, with a horribly angry expression on its face.

"Run!" Arthur shouted as he pushed Marayna behind him and towards the forest, "I'll hold it off."

"How?" she countered as it charged again, "You don't have your sword!"

"I'll think of something, just go!" he yelled again, jumping out of the way, pulling her as well, just in time to avoid the bull, "Marayna!"

"I'm _not_ leaving!"

The bull was running towards them again, headed straight for Marayna, when Arthur quickly pushed her out of the way and went flying to the side as the bull impacted him.

"Arthur!" she gasped, running to his side as the beast turned. He had a pulse, but he was clearly knocked out. She looked up to see the bull heading her way and found the silver lining of the situation. Arthur was _unconscious_, he wouldn't see her do magic. She held up a hand quickly reciting the first spell that came to mind, "_Nearwian_!"

There was a flash of greenish light...and suddenly the humongous bull was no more than three inches tall and running into the side of her boot. She sighed, a shrinking spell was not quite the spell she was going for, but it would do. At least she was out of danger for a moment or two, she really didn't know how long it would last, if it would be moments or permanently, so she had to be quick in getting it and them away from there. She picked up the bull, examining it for a moment before tossing it as far as she could into the woods.

She turned to Arthur, kneeling down beside him and shaking him. And now came the storm cloud the silver lining belonged to...he wasn't waking up. She knew he would be alright, he'd just been hit very hard by the bull, but she felt she should probably get him to Gaius to be sure. How she was going to do that exactly, she didn't know.

She sighed, blowing a bit of hair out of her face as she looked around. All she had was a small bag of food she had brought with her from the kitchens and the skirt Morgana had insisted she wea…

That was it!

She rushed to the skirt and brought it over to Arthur. Now the tricky part. She laid it down right behind him, and pulled him onto the end of it, using some of the extra fabric to tie him into the end of the skirt. She stood and fastened the other end to her waist. It was crude sort of sleigh but it would have to do. Morgana must have seen something like this happen and had told her to bring the skirt to use just for this purpose, she would have to thank her later if Morgana even remembered she'd seen something like this, for all she knew it might have been a dream that had faded into her subconscious or something...and then again, that was also if she made it back to the castle in time. Now she was regretting going so far into the woods.

Sighing, she took a few steps, struggling a bit with Arthur's weight pulling on the skirt, but managed to walk just as well, even gaining a bit of momentum along the way. She tried to find the smoothest path as she went though, the last thing she need was his royal pratness complaining about sores from the forest floor.

~8~

Merlin was a bit nervous as he made his way towards Morgana's room. He'd just had a conference with the king who had demanded to know where Arthur had gone. Merlin had told him what Marayna had told him to say, that Arthur had gotten word that here was some sort of monster in the forest and gone to investigate. He didn't mention that his sister had gone with him, leaving it open for the king to assume that some knights had gone with his son instead.

He had just narrowly managed to escape the stocks so he was still awful jumpy when Gwen caught up to him and informed him that Morgana wished to see him. At first he thought it was to tell him to tell Gaius whether the potion had worked or not, but she could have just sent Gwen to do that. So it was something else entirely.

Like the night before, he gently knocked on her door and, also like last night, it opened after only a few moments, "Merlin!" Morgana cheered as she saw him standing there.

The smile that lit up her face was enough to calm his nerves, "My Lady," he replied, tilting his head a bit in a show of respect.

She smiled wider, "Come in," she ushered and so he did, "I wanted to ask you something..."

"Yes?" he asked, unsure of just what she wanted to know.

"Last night, I asked you to stay till I fell asleep yes?" she questioned, seeming just a bit unsure, as though she weren't sure if she'd dreamed it or not, he nodded, "And you did," he nodded again, "...and then you held my hand."

He began nodding before he realized what she had asked and quickly shook his head in fear that the small act may have offended her.

She let out a jingling laugh, "It's alright Merlin, I was just curious."

He sighed, smiling a little more, "I did," he confirmed.

"Thank you," she whispered, "I was having a nightmare and I was scared. But...then I felt, well, I felt your presence and suddenly, things didn't seem so frightening anymore," she looked at him softly, "It really helped. So thank you."

He let out a full grin, "You're very welcome. I'm glad I could help you sleep."

"It was one of the best ones I've had in a while," she closed her eyes as though remembering the peace she felt at finally sleeping a full night despite the nightmares.

"What was it about? The nightmare."

She nodded in understanding, "Arthur was in the woods with Rayna, he yelled something, and there was this...bull, the next thing I knew Rayna was trying to drag Arthur through the woods by the collar of his shirt. He was fine, just sleeping it looked. Rayna didn't look very worried, so neither was I."

Merlin nodded as well, though he was debating whether or not he should tell her about his sister actually being in the woods that day. It seemed he didn't have to tell her after all. Just that moment there was the sound of bells being rung throughout the castle.

Morgana ran to her window just in time to see the small figure of Marayna half-dragging the unconscious form of Arthur behind her on the trail of her skirt. She quickly fled the room, Merlin behind her.

~8~

Stupid prince, stupid hero, stupid boy!

This was Marayna's chant, the one playing over and over in her head as she continued to drag Arthur through the forest. Honestly, had he been hit that hard that he wasn't waking up after so long!? It was her opinion that somehow, in the middle of her attempts at making it through the woods, he had fallen asleep and just decided to stay asleep to torment her.

She stumbled a bit as her foot caught in a small hole and twisted painfully. She was about halfway back to the castle and the sun was starting to begin its setting journey. Well now she was in a rough spot. She was fairly certain she had twisted her ankle, she still had half the journey to make, Arthur wasn't waking up any time soon, she was exhausted, and hungry, and she hated to admit it, but her back was starting to hurt a bit. She sighed and plopped down on a fallen log.

What would she do now? She doubted Merlin would be able to hear her from such a distance away if she called out to him in her mind. If he had told Uther about the supposed beast in the forest, which just _had_ to become a reality, then no guards or knights would be coming. Perhaps Morgana would see her plight, but she wouldn't be able to do anything about it without exposing her gift. She tried to think of a spell, a transportation, teleportation, call for help spell, anything that could help but came up with nothing.

She sighed and closed her eyes as she leaned back against a tree, clearing her mind to try and focus better. Just as she took a calming breath...a feeling came over her, like a whispering voice on the wind telling her it would be alright and to just let her magic guide her. Having no better choice she reached inside herself and felt her magic within her. She smiled as she let the feeling wash over her, starting to feel calmer almost instantly.

When she opened her eyes she was rather shocked to see a _unicorn_ trotting up to her. She jumped to her feet and held out a hand just as the horse came to her and nuzzled her palm. She pet the unicorn for a few moments before it stepped back and shook its head at Arthur.

She stared for a second before she realized what it was it wanted her to do, "You want me to put Arthur on you?"

It nodded its head exaggeratedly.

Marayna nodded, turning to face the sleeping prince. There was no way she would be able to lift him on her bad foot and with her back. Sighing, she resigned herself to the fact that she had already used magic, she might as well use a bit more, "_Arisan,_" she whispered, holding out her had, struggling to focus her magic, concentrating as Arthur began to rise off the ground and float in midair. It wasn't usually this hard to focus or use her magic, but...give all the events and her current state...it was understandable she was tired.

She turned and carefully lowered him onto the unicorn's back before she took a step to limp beside it...when the horse neighed. She looked back at it to see it nodding its head at her, "Me too?" she asked, feeling less stupid for talking to a horse when said horse nodded.

She carefully made her way to the log and hopped on the Unicorn's back, taking hold of Arthur so he wouldn't fall off as the horse began to gallop towards Camelot. In a matter of moments it seemed, they were at the forest's edge. The unicorn trotted from side-to-side along the forest's edge and Marayna realized that it would go no further.

"Thank you," she whispered, hopping off the horse and onto her good leg. She lowered Arthur down onto her skirt like before and turned to the horse, "Thank you very much," she reached out and stroked its nose. It snorted at her and then turned and ran back into the forest, leaving her there to sigh, turning to look at the castle.

She could make it the last bit couldn't she?

She took a breath and forced herself to walk on. She hadn't gotten far before two watchguards saw her approaching with what appeared to be a 'wounded' Arthur and sounded the alarms.

~8~

"Arthur!" Uther cried as he rushed outside at the sound of the alarms, only to see his son being pulled behind his maidservant who looked worse for the wear.

"Rayna!" Morgana called from behind him as she too ran forward, but towards the servant with the servant's brother.

"Are you alright?" Merlin asked his sister as she leaned on him for support, lifting her one leg as the pain in her ankle started to throb.

Well that was just wonderful, wasn't it? She'd been in Camelot such a short time and been injured more in that period than she had her entire life! She was grumbling that to herself as the guards untied her skirt from her to lower Arthur down.

"What happened?" Uther demanded, stalking over to her as Gaius rushed forward to check on Arthur, no matter how much he wanted to check on his niece first he knew he could not in the presence of the king.

Marayna sighed, "Arthur was searching for a beast," she lied flawlessly, "He found it."

"And?"

"It was a Forest Bull," she rubbed her hips from where the skirt had been tied with one hand, sure that there would also be bruising there tomorrow, "He attacked and managed to wound it. It threw him to the side and went after me. It died from the wounds before it could reach me. I went to check on Arthur and he was unconscious, so I brought him back here."

Well...it was more or less the truth.

"You...dragged my son through the forest?" Uther asked, actually shocked at that. The girl didn't look stronger than one of the younger women in the village, how had she done it?

"Yes sire. I was able to fashion a sort of sleigh using my skirt and pulled Arthur here."

Uther turned to Gaius, "How is he?"

"Perfectly fine sire," he replied, "He'll have a bit of a bruise on his head the next few days, but other than that, unwounded. He's sleeping."

"I _knew_ it," Uther heard the servant girl hiss to herself before motioning the knights to pick up his son and deliver him to his rooms.

"Come Morgana," he called, before tuning to his physician, "Gaius, see to you niece."

"Thank you, sire," Gaius nodded as the king left with his son. He turned to face his niece, a stern look on his face, "You have a lot of explaining to do."

Marayna dropped her head and shook it against Merlin's shoulder, her brother just laughing before scooping her into his arms and carrying her back to the room, not about to let her walk or hobble on her injured leg.

~8~

Arthur stretched out in bed, yawning as he opened his eyes. That was funny, it was pitch black out when he distinctly remembered it being daylight before. What was even more odd...was that his father was sitting at his bedside, dozing in a chair.

"Father?" he asked, startling the king awake.

"Arthur!" he cried. While he trusted Gaius's words, he wanted to make sure his son was alright by _his_ standards, "How are you?"

"Fine," he replied, shrugging, "A bit confused, though. What's going on?"

"You don't remember?"

"Apparently not," Arthur rolled his eyes, "What happened?"

"You were in the forest today instead of attending the council meeting."

Arthur's eyes widened as he realized his father had discovered his gallivanting in the woods, "Father, I can explain..."

Uther held up a hand to silence his son, "Your maidservant explained everything."

"Mara?" he blinked, before looking around as though he would find her in his room, and returning his attention to his father, "What did she say?"

"She told me of how you went to find the beast that was haunting the forest," he smiled at his son's initiative at tracking down magical creatures, "And how you killed it."

"I killed it?" he wondered out loud, how had he managed that? he didn't have a sword! Obviously, his father hadn't noticed that little detail. He could only assume that the creature had gotten frightened and run off into the forest, but he wouldn't tell his father that.

"According to your maidservant, yes," he smiled even more, "I'm very proud of you Arthur. When I saw her bringing you back to Camelot I feared the worst and…"

"Mara brought me back?" he shook his head, he was even more confused now.

Uther nodded, "She said you had been knocked unconscious and she dragged back to Camelot on a makeshift sleigh, quite...resourceful really."

"She dragged me back here? All the way through the woods?" Uther nodded again. Arthur let out a breath of relief, he'd been worried that she'd been hurt, but he needed to make sure she was really alright, "Where is she?"

"Resting In her chambers," Uther replied, watching his son with a raised eyebrow as he stood and made his way out of the room without another word.

~8~

Arthur nearly ran to Gaius's chambers, but years of etiquette had taught him how to 'hasten' instead. He threw open the door to the room to see Merlin and Gaius standing by a table, talking in hushed tones.

"How is she?" he asked as soon as they noticed he was there.

"Resting sire," Gaius answered, already knowing he was referring to Marayna, "She was quite worn out after everything."

"May I see her?" he requested, not really having to, he _was_ the prince after all, but he did have a very large respect for Gaius and these were HIS rooms.

Gaius nodded and led him to the back room. He slowly pushed the door open, peeking inside, "She's sleeping right now sire," he whispered, "Please be as quite as possible."

Arthur nodded and took just a step into the room, Merlin right behind him. He looked down to see Marayna lying on her side in her bed, a few scratches on her face from what he assumed were branches as she dragged him through the woods. He looked down, taking careful note of every injury to see if she was truly alright. He noticed her foot was sticking out from under the flimsy blanket she had and he could see a white cloth wrapped around her foot. He looked up at Merlin who simply held a finger to his lips and nodded towards the door.

When they were back outside, Arthur turned to Merlin expectantly, Merlin sighed, "She sprained her ankle on something."

Arthur nodded, "And the scratches?"

"Branches. They'll heal just fine though, won't even leave a sign of them."

"Did she tell _you_ what happened with the beast?" he asked, feeling as though she would at least tell _Merlin_ the truth.

He shrugged, "She said that the beast got spooked and ran away."

Merlin could already see that this was the answer the prince was hoping for. He shook his head silently, Marayna certainly knew the inner workings of the prince's mind. She had told him to say that if Arthur came asking, it seemed she thought it would be the conclusion he would come up with. Arthur didn't need to know that she had magically shrunk the creature or that he had been carried half through the woods on the back of a unicorn.

Arthur nodded, "See to it that she rests well," he ordered, "She's…you're both excused from chores tomorrow."

Merlin opened his mouth to disagree, the memory of the terrible (truly, they would probably have nightmares about it) mess that Arthur had left them after only two days in mind, when Arthur spoke again, "And don't worry, I'll try to pick up after myself this time," he laughed at that last part, earning a chuckle from Merlin, before he nodded his goodbye and left the room, headed back to his own.

Perhaps...when he returned to his rooms he would straighten them out a bit. It wasn't like he would be getting much sleep as well rested as he was.

A/N: Little bit of wrestling there ;)

As for the Dragon, I always felt so badly that no one really wanted to talk to him unless it was for help. I feel like Marayna would be interested in all the things he'd seen and done before he was captured. She'll have a friendship of sorts with the dragon, I can say I do know whether she'll be a Dragonlord or not, but I won't say what it is till we get to that ;) I have a twist in mind for it though :)

I hope you liked the moment with Aurora and Marayna, I feel like she would really be the only one the horse trusts at the moment as she was the one to stop Urry and the scars would sort of bind them together in a way :) I love Bartok too, he's adorable and we'll see him again. Actually...we've already seen him ;)

I also hope you liked the little moments between Arthur and Marayna (and Merlin and Morgana) and how she sort of tricked him into skipping his duties for the day ;) She'll be getting one up on in him quite a few different ways }:)

Nearwian - Shrink  
Arisan - Rise up

Some notes on reviews...

All I can say about Mordred is we'll actually see a bit more of him than in the show ;) And he holds a very special place in my heart ;) But I can't say more than that about his fate }:)

Marayna will have a more of a friendship sort of relationship, she appreciates his tales of things beyond just destiny. As for being a Dragonlord...we'll have to wait and see :) I can say quite a few people will learn about Merlin and Marayna's magic earlier than in the show, and there will be quite a few reactions to them so Arthur might just be one of them ;) I can't say about if Arthur will die, it'll depend on if Marayna's destiny goes according to plan }:)

Lol, that's cool if you felt it was weird to have them both involved with the poisoning :) I feel like, during those times, growing up like they did where all they had was each other...they're semi-codependant despite how independent they may seem. They would not EVER let the other suffer something like a poisoning alone or even go through the risk of it alone :( It's like Marayna said, where Merlin goes, she goes, if he dies...well, coming to Camelot will allow her and Merlin to branch out and depend less on each other, but they're not at that point yet ;)

All I can say about Morgana is I've got quite a few twists in mind for her, both in terms of her loyalty and her relationship with Merlin }:) I like to think he makes people better (like the Doctor from Doctor Who), but we'll have to wait and see if he'll manage it for Morgana ;) I can say that the start of Series 3 will shed quite a bit of light on Morgana's fate }:)


	7. Lancelot

Lancelot

Marayna had slept the better part of the day following her trial in the woods. Arthur had stepped in quite often to check on her and ask questions about what exactly had happened. She gave the same story as she told Merlin to give him and things went back to normal. Her ankle had healed fine even with her putting her weight on it to complete chores.

Weeks had gone by and everyone fell back into the swing of things with only one or two differences. Arthur's room had, somehow, actually remained fairly clean which meant neither Merlin nor Marayna had to clean it daily, just straighten some things and polish others. Marayna also noticed that her brother returned later and later on days when he delivered Morgana's sleeping draught, though she pretended to be asleep when he returned. She said nothing to him about it, the blush on his face whenever he locked eyes with the noblewoman was enough to tell her everything.

Currently the siblings were at the edge of the forest, picking some mushrooms for Gaius...when an awful screech echoed behind them. They looked up just in time to see a winged monster running at them. Merlin quickly grabbed his sister's hand and pulled her away, running as fast as they could towards the castle. Unfortunately the family clumsiness flared as it always seemed to do when they DIDN'T want it to, and they both tumbled to the ground, the beast looming down above them. Merlin was about to call out a blasting spell when a dark-haired man they had never seen before charged forward, swinging and lunging with the sword in his hand, trying in vain to attack it. His last jab at the monster resulted in his sword shattering which was just wonderful because, despite it being what appeared to be one of the normal monsters that attacked Camelot, the fact that swords were useless meant, likely, that only magic would work against it.

The man quickly turned and ran towards them, leaning down to pull them up as he moved, "Run!" he shouted, rushing away with them, "Run!"

They ran through the forest, jumping over a log and hiding behind it as the creature flew over them and away into the sky, not having seen them thankfully. Merlin looked to his right at the stranger and then past him towards his sister, sitting on the other side of the man and let out a breath, "It's gone," he turned to face the stranger again, "You saved our lives!"

"I'm Marayna," his sister spoke, drawing the stranger's attention to her before nodding it back to her brother, "And that's my brother, Merlin."

The man nodded, "Lancelot," was all he got out...before he promptly, well, fainted.

Marayna stared at him before a moment before standing, "How many unconscious men am I going to have to lug back to Camelot?!" she huffed, exasperated, as Merlin chuckled at her, earning a glare from her, "_You_ can drag him this time."

Merlin shook his head as he stood.

~8~

Merlin and Marayna managed to get Lancelot back to the castle fairly quickly. Marayna couldn't help but grumble about Merlin's magic on the way though. He'd managed to magically carry Lancelot a good distance through the forest before setting him down to carry him the rest of the way. Apparently, Marayna had barely the power to lift Arthur onto a horse with her magic let alone magically carry him back to Camelot. But then again, that had been after she'd dragged him through the woods, completely forgetting that she could have magically lifted him at the time, and she was also still had been a bit weak from the poison. According to Gaius, that was normal, since it was an enchanted potion, their magic had been what was fighting most of the effects off rather than their strength, not to mention helping Arthur, even while unconscious apparently, had tapped their power a bit too. When Marayna had been affected more than Merlin from the poison, it of course would take her longer to build up her magical strength again. Luckily though, she was back at full power now.

"The wound itself is superficial," Gaius had explained as he examined Lancelot's side, "The fever will pass. He should be fine by the morning."

And so when morning came, it would find Lancelot fit as a fiddle, staring out the window at Camelot while Merlin and Marayna sat against the wall.

"Ever since I was a child I've _dreamed_ of coming here," Lancelot breathed as he looked back from the window to them, "It's my life's ambition to join the Knights of Camelot. I know what you're thinking, I expect too much. After all, who am I? They have their pick of the best and bravest in the land."

"Lancelot?" Marayna called, getting his attention.

"Yes?"

"They're going to love you," Merlin finished, smiling.

"They are?" the man asked uncertainly.

"We've seen your skill with a sword," Marayna explained, a smirk on her face, "You could shame the great Arthur himself."

"I hardly think so," he smiled back modestly.

"Believe me. It's not _that_ hard to beat him."

And it wasn't…if you counted a game of wits. So far, she had managed to talk Arthur into a lot of things he wouldn't normally do, as well as getting away with various offenses she shouldn't have been able to by just talking quicker than him or talking him in circles and confusing him. It was quite a lot of fun. She had only ever really been able to verbally duel someone in her joking way with one other person besides Merlin, and he was far off in another kingdom...probably causing some sort of commotion in the tavern or something.

"In fact…" Merlin trailed, getting up, "You know what we're going to do. We're going to talk to him right now," Marayna nodded, standing as well.

Lancelot looked between the two, clearly surprised, "_You_ know Arthur?"

"Oh, yes," Merlin smiled.

"Unfortunately," Marayna added, though she was smiling as well, "A word of advice, Lancelot, don't _ever_ save his life."

And with that, they walked out of the room, calling for him to follow over their shoulder. He had to admit as he followed them, he was utterly confused.

~8~

They managed to find Arthur standing before the other knights in the courtyards this time instead of the training arena. He walk walking before them as one man stood back a bit, swinging two swords around as he prepared for the fight.

"Right you drummed up dung beetle, this is it," Arthur turned to face his opponent, "The final test, pass this and you're a knight of Camelot. Fail, and you're no one. You'll face the most feared of all foes, the ultimate killing machine...you face _me_," a snort could be heard from the sidelines and Arthur glanced over to see Marayna holding a hand to her mouth, hissing apologies to Merlin as they watched the proceedings. He began to smile at that, at seeing her having come to watch as she didn't often come to the knights training if she didn't have to, preferring to watch from his rooms or a window of the castle. He was still trying to get her more comfortable around the knights, while she didn't have an outward issue with them since Urry, he could tell she wasn't entirely comfortable with them as she should have been, Urry truly had marred the reputation of the knights in her eyes to do what he had done. But then...he noticed_ another_ _man_ standing behind the two, and his smile turned into a bit of a glare, "Your challenge, to last one minute, free combat," he continued, turning back to face the knight in training, "Grument, second son of Wesex, you're time starts now."

An hourglass was turned and Grument went after Arthur, swinging his swords in the process.

'_This can't end well,_' Marayna heard Merlin comment in her mind.

Marayna flinched as Arthur ducked under Grument's arm and elbowed him in the stomach before dealing a blow to the face that had his opponent on his back in just...seconds. Well that was rather short-lived and disappointing.

Arthur sighed as he stepped up to take the knight's sash, symbolizing his failure to make it into the ranks, "Take him away," he ordered the other knights as he left the courtyard.

Merlin and Marayna gave a comforting smile to Lancelot, instructing him to return to Gaius's as they went after Arthur.

~8~

"Grument's the third to fail this month!" Arthur complained as he began handing various bits of armor to Merlin and Marayna, "How am I to defend Camelot with rubbish like that?"

"Well, I think we might be able to help," Merlin began, when Arthur turned and stopped walking.

Arthur started at him, an eyebrow rising in amusement, "_You_, Merlin?" he laughed and continued walking, "You haven't the faintest idea of what it takes to be a knight. Courage, fortitude, discipline. And Mara clearly couldn't..."

"No, no, of course I don't," Merlin continued, stuttering over his words a bit, "I wasn't talking about US becoming knights!"

"We someone else who just might have what it takes," Marayna finished.

"Yeah?" Arthur turned again, this time a bit curious.

Merlin nodded, "He saved our lives."

"That's blowing it for starters," he mumbled, before looking at his servants. He could see nothing that would indicate they were harmed, but felt the need to ask anyway, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, course we are," Marayna waved him off, "But really, Arthur, he's quite good."

"That's great," he rolled his eyes, a bit put off by her praise for this mysterious man, "I'm sure he's terrific, but you forget the first code of Camelot."

"The what?" Merlin frowned, glancing at his sister but she shrugged, apparently she had never heard of it either.

"The First Code, only those of noble blood can serve as Knights," Arthur explained, "So unless your friend is a nobleman..."

"Oh, he is a nobleman," Merlin assured Arthur with a grin...while Marayna mentally smacked herself at her brother's idiocy to proclaim something like that. She didn't know much about nobles, but her time with her aunt had taught her that they had proof of their blood status, seals of nobility...which Lancelot did NOT have.

"Is he?" Arthur questioned, uncertainty in his voice.

"Absolutely," Marayna confirmed, a strained smile on her face. Oh well, if Merlin got them into this mess, she might as well join him in it. It wasn't like she wouldn't be helping him clean it up later and it was always FAR more fun to be a part of something than to sit by and watch.

"Well, very well, bring him to the training ground tomorrow and make sure he brings his seal of nobility," Arthur ordered, walking off.

"Thanks!" Marayna shouted after him.

"You won't regret it," Merlin added, smiling.

~8~

Lancelot jumped out of his seat when Merlin and Marayna burst through the door of the physician's chambers.

"Well?" Lancelot asked, rushing up to them, "Did you speak to him?"

"Yes," Marayna started, solemnly.

"We spoke to him," Merlin finished, frowning a bit.

"And?" he added, growing apprehensive at the two's sorrowful looks.

"And…" Marayna trailed, shaking her head with an apologetic look on their face.

Lancelot's face fell. He should have known this was too good to be true. He knew there were SO many obstacles in his way, he was an unknown man, he wasn't from Camelot, he wasn't…

"He said he would like to meet you," Merlin continued quickly, grins breaking out on both their faces.

"Yes!" Lancelot cheered, reaching out to shake their hands, "Thank you, thank you!"

Marayna smiled at that, he looked so much like a little boy who had just received a gift he'd been wishing for for ages, which she knew he had been.

"Hey, look, it's no problem really," Merlin smiled, trying to calm down the thanks, before looking away and trying to ask casually, "You're...not a nobleman by any chance, are you?"

"A nobleman?" Lancelot repeated, looking down at himself, at his commoner clothing, and laughing, "No, good lord no, why'd you ask?"

"It's just that…" Marayna started, before her uncle cut her off.

"The first rule of Camelot states only those of noble blood may serve as a knight," Gaius explained from where he was working on a tonic at his work bench, "Uther created the knights to protect this kingdom from those that wish to destroy it. He knew he would have to trust each of his knights with his life. So he chose them from the families that had sworn allegiance to him."

"Nobility," Merlin nodded, frowning.

"And thus the First Code of Camelot was born and, ever since that day, only the sons of noble families have served as knights."

Lancelot sat down on a bench heavily, as though all his dreams had just been dashed for something he had no control over. Which, in fact, it seemed it had.

"It's not fair," Marayna protested. She could think of dozens of nobles that hadn't what it took to be knights and here was a man who did. And now he wouldn't get the chance to just because he hadn't been lucky enough to be born into a noble family? It was ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous! Oh this is why she disliked nobles.

She...hadn't always been as brash and open with her words as she was now. Not at all! She'd actually been quite terrified of the nobles, had almost...revered them when she'd gone to stay at her aunts, but...she'd started to become disillusioned by them, due in large part to a few friends she'd made along the way. She'd started to see them not as these magnanimous rules but...selfish, arrogant, biased and prejudiced. And it seemed Uther was all those things. Arthur...he was too but...he was almost...slowly mind you...getting a bit better, little by little. After she'd realized that though, she'd found that she truly didn't care what happened to her for what she might say to them. If they had her executed, well that just proved her point and, having lived her entire life fearing that one wrong move would have her outed as a 'sorceress' and that she'd be sent to Camelot and hung...or burned...or beheaded, well...she wasn't much afraid of death any more. She just...didn't care to hold her tongue anymore. If she was executed it proved her point, if she wasn't then there was a chance of a noble proving her wrong.

Most of the time though, she was just ignored because apparently her opinion both as a peasant and a woman weren't worth anything.

Pompous, arrogant men.

"Fair or unfair, that's the way it is," Gaius stated, before turning to Lancelot, "I'm sorry, Lancelot, truly I am."

Just as Gaius turned to leave, he left a lingering look at his niece and nephew, warning them and _pleading_ with them at the same time_ not_ to do anything stupid.

~8~

That night as Merlin was lighting a candle and Marayna was setting up the bed for Lancelot, Marayna glanced up at the man, "Why _do_ you want to be a knight so badly?" she asked, curiously.

"When I was a boy, my village was attacked by raiders from the northern plains," he began, staring at the wall as though he were remembering tat very day, "They were slaughtered where they stood, my father, my mother, everyone, I alone escaped. I vowed that day that never again would I be helpless in the face of tyranny. I made sword craft my life, every waking hour since that day I devoted to the art of combat. When I was ready I set forth for Camelot. Now it seems my journey ends. Everything I fought for...wasted."

Merlin stepped forward, placing a hand on his shoulder, "I give you my word, whatever it takes, we'll make this right," he swore as his sister nodded determinedly beside him.

~8~

Merlin peered over the titles of various books in the library, well it was really more like an archival, dusty room full of books no one read than what should probably be a library, though Marayna had no idea what her brother was trying to do. He'd simply walked out of the room that morning with purpose so she had gone along to make sure nothing happened.

Merlin must have found what he was looking for because he pulled a large, leather-bound book off the shelf and cracked it open. The caretaker of the library, Geoffrey, glanced up at him, a demanding and questioning look in his eyes, "Homework," Merlin replied.

Marayna could only catch a bit of color on the pages before he snapped it shut, emitting a cloud of dust, "Ah-choo!" she sneezed, glaring at her brother as she wiped at her nose with the sleeve of her dress.

He simply smirked at her and went to take a seat at one of the tables, his sister sitting beside him. He flipped through the pages and she could see they were crests of various noble families. He stopped on the last page of the fourth son of a lord in Northumbria and she watched her brother curiously as he pulled out a roll of blank parchment and placed it next to the crest. He held out his hands and whispered, "_Ic us bisen hræd tán hwanon__._"

Marayna smiled, seeing another crest appear on the paper, stating Lancelot as the_ fifth_ son. '_That was just brilliant!_' she thought to him as he rolled the paper up, '_You're a genius Merlin!_'

'_Finally, someone sees it,_' he shot back, smiling at her.

There was a clearing of a throat to their left as Merlin quickly shut the book and handed it to Geoffrey, "It's a real page turner," he grinned, rushing out of the room with his sister, both hoping that the man hadn't seen Merlin's magic.

~8~

"What's that?" Lancelot eyed the rolled up scroll in Merlin's hand as the man and Marayna rushed back into the physician's chambers.

"Your signet of nobility," Marayna smiled proudly at her brother, making him blush just a bit.

That was something she hated about Camelot and about Ealdor, how people treated Merlin, what they thought of him. In Ealdor they were always treated oddly, like there was something just...not right about them. Camelot though seemed to favor treating Merlin like he was an idiot, calling him that as well, which was terrible. He was brilliant! He had always been the one to teach her things when she was younger. He had taught her how to read even! Most people seemed to forget that there was more than just learned knowledge that came from books and lessons but that it existed in other forms, in wisdom, which Merlin really did have in abundance. The worst part was that Merlin seemed almost ready to believe what others thought of him, and she refused to let that happen.

"I don't understand," Lancelot shook his head, standing up.

"Ladies and gentleman, I give you Lancelot, fifth son of Lord Eldrid of Northumbria," Merlin announced as he unrolled the scroll for the man to see.

"No," Lancelot protested, "Merlin, no."

"Ok," Marayna shrugged, "Seems he doesn't want to be a knight anymore," she moved to take the scroll and leave, Merlin about to protest it when Lancelot beat him to it.

"Of course I do!" Lancelot shouted, making Marayna smirk.

"Well, the rules don't allow it," Merlin added, catching onto his sister's game, "So damn the rules."

"The rules are wrong," Marayna agreed.

"But it's a lie," Lancelot sighed, "It's against everything the knights stand for."

"But not every knight follows what they are meant to represent," Marayna countered, a bit bitterly.

Merlin looked at her sadly, knowing she'd moved past what had happened to her to being angry at Urry. He looked over at Lancelot to see him eyeing Marayna in concern and shook his head, signaling him NOT to ask, before he continued, "You have as much right to be a knight as any man. We know it."

"But the rules!" he tried again.

"It's not like we're breaking them or anything," Marayna countered, "We're just...getting you a moment to try."

Merlin nodded, "You get your foot in the door and after that, you'll be judged on your merit alone."

"And when you beat Arthur, and please, do make it a good show, you'll be a knight and it's because you earned it on skill alone, not on blood. Do you have any idea how many nobles possess no talent to be a knight?"

"We can't change the way things are done around here," Merlin finished, "But you can if you let us help you."

~8~

That morning, Merlin and Marayna were rushing around, trying to prepare everything for Lancelot's training. They had managed to collect a few good pieces of armor from the armory to dress him in, now all they needed was a tunic with the 'family crest' to go over it...and they knew just who to go to.

"This is very kind of you, uh…" Lancelot began as he looked down at the woman taking his measurements.

"Gwen," she answered.

"Gwen?"

"Short for Guinevere."

"Ah, then thank you Guinevere," he smiled at her and she couldn't help but smile back.

"Don't thank me, thank Merlin and Rayna," she glanced over at them leaning against the wall of her house, watching her and Lancelot with smiles on their faces, "They would do anything for anyone wouldn't you?" she beamed at them as they shrugged and turned to face Lancelot's back, "Sorry can you raise your arms?" he did so and she reached across him to get his measurements, "Sorry," she mumbled, blushing, she'd gotten a rather good feel of his muscles, "I think it's great that they've got you this chance," she reached up to measure his neck, smiling softly to herself as she added, "We need men like you."

"You do?" he breathed, staring down at her, never having been told that before.

She felt her breath catch in her throat when his eyes caught hers, "Well, not me personally, but, you know, Camelot," she could hear Marayna giggling behind her and stuttered out, "Camelot needs knights. Not just Arthur and his kind but ordinary people, like you and me."

"Well I'm not a knight yet, my Lady," he smiled gently at her.

"And I'm not a lady," she replied back with a soft laugh.

They stood there a short while longer, getting lost in each other's gazes...before Lancelot spoke again, "Sorry I…"

But Gwen cut him off, feeling a blush rise even more in her cheeks, "Ok, we're done, I should have these ready in no time," she held out her hand for him to shake, "It's nice to meet you Lancelot."

But instead of a hand shake, Lancelot quickly brought her hand to his lips and kissed it before rushing off with Merlin and Marayna, leaving an entirely red Gwen behind.

~8~

"She seems lovely?" Lancelot sighed as he thought back on the kind woman, "Guinevere..."

"Oh, she is," Marayna smirked at the dreamlike expression on the man's face.

"And the best seamstress in Camelot I promise," Merlin continued, oblivious to the man's obvious smitteness with their friend.

"Are you two?" he looked at Merlin, "You know…"

"Oh, no! No. J-just friends," Merlin answered quickly, finally catching on as his sister laughed at him, knowing full well her brother himself was smitten with another woman.

~8~

Marayna smirked as she helped Arthur prepare for the training with the knights. Merlin and Gwen were helping Lancelot so she was stuck dressing Arthur by herself.

Oh joy.

"So this man," Arthur began, looking across the field at Merlin and Gwen fussing over the man he could only assume was the new noble ready to test his worth, "This Prancegot…"

"_Lance_lot," Marayna corrected with a roll of her eyes.

Arthur scoffed, "Lancelot, what sort of name is that?"

Marayna raised an eyebrow, "I don't know, Artie, what sort of name is it?"

"I thought we agreed you wouldn't call me that," Arthur nearly glared at her.

She glared right back at him, "Maybe, when you stop being a prat, I will. Lancelot's a good man who just wants to prove himself as knight worthy. The _least_ you can do is get his name right."

Arthur sighed, he hated when she was right, "Do _you_ think he's knight worthy?"

"He _did_ save my life," she answered thoughtfully as though it answered the question, but then she smirked evilly, "But then again...so did _you_."

"Hey!" Arthur cried indignantly, but actually managing to see the hidden joke in her words. He was getting better at understanding her humor it seemed.

"In all honesty though," she continued, ignoring his outburst, "I think he'd make a fine knight. He's brave and loyal and determined, far too noble for my tastes but handsome nonetheless."

Arthur's jaw clenched at her praises for the man, unconsciously...so did his fists, "Very well," he spoke, though Marayna could detect a strain in his words, "We shall have to hope he passes the test then."

Before she could reply, he stalked off towards his men who were awaiting their training. Marayna shook her head and went to join her brother in helping him prepare Lancelot as they watched the training commence.

Arthur ran his men through various drills and sword positions for a majority of the practice, as Lancelot wasn't a knight yet he was forbidden to join in, "1, 2, 3, 4," Arthur counted as his men struck their positions, "1, 2, 3, 4."

"Well, you certainly look the part," Marayna commented to Lancelot, trying to calm the poor man down.

"Doesn't he just?" Gwen nearly gushed.

"I don't feel it," Lancelot admitted.

"Ok, that'll do for the day," they heard Arthur call as he dismissed his knights, "Well done."

"Here's your chance," Merlin whispered as Arthur moved to put his sword away, "Go for it."

Lancelot took a breath and marched up to the prince, "Yes?" Arthur demanded as he looked up to see a man standing before him, dressed in chainmail.

"Lancelot, fifth son of Lord Eldrid of Northumbria," Lancelot replied, hoping he pronounced everything correctly, trying to stand as straight and noble as he could.

"Lancelot?" his eyes narrowed as he recognized the name, "My servant mentioned you," Lancelot nodded and moved to speak when Arthur cut him off, "Got your seal?" he simply held the scroll to him, "Bow."

But as the man did so...Arthur lashed out and struck him in the head with enough force to knock him over and onto his back with one firm punch.

"Arthur!" he heard Marayna yell angrily, which did nothing to help his mood.

"Sluggish reactions," he commented, staring down his nose at the man, "On the battlefield you'd be dead by now. Come back when you're ready," he turned to leave when Lancelot stumbled to his feet, his hands on his sword.

"I'm ready now, Sire," the man called, this time ready for any attack.

"You are, are you?" he sneered and Lancelot merely nodded, "Fine, you can start by clearing out the stables," he turned and left, not wanting to see the look of anger he knew was on Marayna's face. For some reason, the idea that she was angry at him bothered him more than it should.

~8~

"I'm sorry about Lancelot," Gaius sighed as he looked over at his niece and nephew, mixing herbs for him with distant expressions, "I can see that you're upset."

"Oh you know, that's life," Merlin commented.

"Sometimes you win, and sometimes you murder a prince," Marayna shrugged nonchalantly, making Merlin chuckle.

"You're taking it very well," Gaius eyed them with an eyebrow raised in suspicion, "I have to say. Very mature."

"Thank you, Gaius" Merlin smiled just as the door to the chambers opened to reveal Lancelot, streaked with mud and dirt from his time in the stables.

"Rough time?" Marayna guessed, grimacing at his filth.

"Ergg," he groaned before heading into his temporary room to try and clean up even slightly.

Gaius immediately turned to give them a meaningful look.

"He decided to stick around as the new stablehand?" Marayna offered.

"I see," Gaius replied tensely...and they immediately knew they were about to be in big trouble, "And the truth? Before I lose my temper."

"He's, uh, trying out for the knights?" Merlin answered, though it sounded more like a question than anything.

"The First Code of Camelot has never been broken for any man! What have you done?"

"We may have...fibbed a bit," Marayna confessed, understanding her uncle's anger more than anyone as she seemed to share the trait, "But that stupid code is totally wrong!"

"You 'fibbed a bit?' Did you use magic?!"

"It was nothing, honestly, it was more of a trick than actual magic," Merlin defended, squirming under his uncle's gaze.

"Your magic is not a toy!" this time Gaius really _did_ shout, making Merlin and Marayna flinch, "It is not for you to use or abuse as you see fit."

"We know, we know..."

"Then why'd you do it?!"

"Lancelot saved our lives," Marayna spoke, her own anger starting to rise, "And we are trying to repay that debt any way we can!"

"By giving him the opportunity he deserves," Merlin continued, "If you want to punish us for it, go ahead."

Gaius simply narrowed his eyes, shooting them angry looks, but said no more.

~8~

The next day proved to be quite eventful as, apparently, Lancelot and Arthur had duked it out in the marketplace with Lancelot proving his skill and earning a place in basic training with the other knights, just needing one final test against Arthur to be deemed one. Merlin and Marayna hadn't discovered this little feat, however, until long after it had happened. The winged monster that had attacked them had gone after another village and they were helping those that survived find refuge in Camelot. It had been a long day and each of them were ready to sleep till next week, and seemed intent to do it for they nearly collapsed onto their cots and fell right asleep.

But that didn't seem the case for Gaius, who sat at his small work table, a single candle illuminating him as he turned another page in a book, searching for the monster.

"I don't think you'll find it there," a voice said behind him.

He turned to see Marayna standing there, watching him work, "Why do you say that?" he asked, already closing the book at her words. He had learned a long time ago that sometimes when Marayna spoke, it was with a knowledge she should not have possessed. She knew things some times, had feelings about things, that often proved true. It was more small things though, nothing ever really too important.

She shrugged, "I don't know. Just a feeling."

"What are you doing up?" he changed the topic, trying to steer away from talks of beasts so late at night.

"I couldn't sleep. I was about to ask you if you had a potion I could use, but I saw you working."

"Ah," he nodded, getting up and rummaging through is drawers for a small vial of red that would help her sleep, "Here you go, it's very late, so I would only take half the bottle. Don't need you sleeping through Lancelot's test tomorrow."

She smiled softly at her uncle, thanked him, and turned to return to her room as Gaius sighed, watching her disappear before he turned and moved the book back to its proper place. He sighed, if Marayna said it wouldn't be in that book, then he was quite sure it wouldn't be.

Now he just had to figure out which book to check next.

~8~

Arthur glanced over to see Merlin and Gwen dressing Lancelot again while Marayna dressed him to prepare for Lancelot's trial the next day. He glared at the man for a good long while...until Marayna noticed that is and promptly smacked him upside the head. Thankfully, no one had noticed that slight abuse against the prince by his maidservant.

"Ow!" Arthur shouted, turning to look at her over his shoulder, completely startled that she'd actually had the nerve to hit him like that, "What was that for?!"

"That was for the other day," she shot back, "What you did was completely unfair to Lancelot."

"I was testing his reflexes," Arthur defended, though they both knew that wasn't entirely the case, "It's not _my_ fault he's sluggish."

"Really?" she scoffed...before flicking his ear.

"Stop it!" he waved at her hand, but just a moment after the flick had occurred, getting to his feet to turn to her so she couldn't do it again.

"Oh sorry," she mocked, "Did that hurt? I was merely 'testing your reflexes.' It's not MY fault you're sluggish, is it?" she returned his very argument back at him, before continuing, not letting him have a single chance to continue to make his rubbish defenses, "And anyway...it's not his fault that his attacker was a prat. Why he wants to serve _you_ is beyond me," Arthur opened his mouth to say something but she quickly shoved his helmet into his gut, "You're ready _my Lord_."

And with that, she walked away to help her brother and Gwen. He sighed and shook his head, he really needed to find out how she managed to make him feel bad without even saying anything truly chastising.

He strode before his knights as Lancelot stepped out to meet him, "Well here we are, you're final challenge. Succeed and you join the elite. Fail and your journey ends here," Arthur turned to face him, "Lancelot, fifth son of Lord Eldrid of Northumbria, your time starts now."

Both men quickly donned their helmets and went at each other and, no matter how angry she was at the prince, Marayna couldn't help but flinch as Lancelot dealt him a heavy blow to the face with his sword. But her nerves were nothing compared to Gwen's. The poor girl was standing there, switching between praying and grabbing their clothes as she watched Lancelot fight Arthur.

It wasn't until Lancelot fell to the ground from a blow to the face that they were able to breathe again. They watched Arthur walk over to the man and stare down at him, Lancelot appearing unconscious, "Shame," he muttered before reaching down to take the man's sash.

When suddenly, Lancelot grabbed the prince's arm, swiped his feet out from under him and brought him crashing to the ground. Arthur would later recall wondering, for the briefest moment, if Lancelot had been taking lessons from Marayna as that seemed to be a move she favored using herself, knocking someone's leg out from under them...when he saw a sword pointed at his chest.

"Do you submit, Sire?" Lancelot asked from above him.

The knights immediately pulled Lancelot away from the prince as Arthur stormed to his feet. He looked so angry that now it was Marayna's turn to grab Gwen's clothes in fear, "On your knees!" Arthur snapped, his voice deep, as the knights forced Lancelot to the ground...with Arthur's sword pointed at his chest.

~8~

Lancelot had been knighted that very night! Much to Merlin and Marayna's relief and now there was to be a feast in his honor, apparently it wasn't often that Arthur deemed a noble worth to be a knight of Camelot.

"Look at him Gaius," Merlin commented as he watched Lancelot and Arthur joke and drink, the two men sitting on a table beside each other, "Does Lancelot not deserve this moment?"

"I never said he didn't, but destiny and desserts are not the same thing," Gaius commented, before giving Merlin a look, "You and your sister played god, Merlin. You set him on the path of your choosing. Tonight you brought him triumph, but who knows what the future may hold."

Not liking where the conversation was turning, Merlin quickly smiled at his uncle, "Yeah, I don't know what it said on your invitation, but on mine it said celebration."

Gaius laughed, shaking his head, "Point taken, don't come back too late."

"Alright," Merlin agreed as he watched the old man walk off. He glanced around, trying to spot his sister who, as soon as the banquet had been announced, was whisked away by Morgana and Gwen...literally. They had had to drag her off nearly kicking and screaming as his sister knew just what the two women wanted her for and was trying to avoid it.

He couldn't help but smile as he caught a glimpse of her entering the room with Gwen, both women behind Morgana. He chuckled to himself, he should have known like she had just why Morgana had stolen her away.

~8~

"Here's trouble," Arthur muttered, taking a sip of ale as he saw Morgana walking towards him, before spitting it out as she turned towards a table to reveal Marayna and Gwen walking behind her. Both Arthur and Lancelot's mouths dropped open at the sight of the women. Morgana, of course, was lovely, in the stunning dress she had worn to Lady Helen's performance, but it was not her that drew their attention so, but the servants.

Gwen was dressed in a simple pale pink dress with a simple white corset, but to Lancelot she had never looked more lovely. Marayna stood beside her, her arm locked with the girl's, matching the girl's outfit except that her dress was light blue with a dark blue corset. Arthur briefly considered making the wearing of pale blue dresses banned.

"Tell me," Arthur began as he watched the three women converse for a moment before something caught Morgana's eye across the room. She said something to the girls, who nodded and walked away. Arthur's eyes followed their steps to see them walk towards Merlin and say something that obviously had him very happy. He smiled, nodded his thanks, and walked away in the direction they had come from, but the girls didn't move, just stood there, talking, "Do you think her beautiful?" he asked finally, his gaze resting on Marayna, laughing at something Gwen had said, though he could see she wasn't quite happy with having been made to wear a different dress (oh the horror, 2 dresses in one day!) but that she was trying to keep things light for Gwen.

Lancelot smiled softly as he followed the prince's gaze, but to Gwen instead, "Yes sire I do," he answered honestly.

"Yeah, I suppose she is…" Arthur trailed as his jaw clenched again, perhaps he should have Gaius look into that? The clenching couldn't be good.

Just a ways away, Gwen and Marayna stood speaking, each taking small peeks at the prince and his newest knight sitting on a table, "I think..." Marayna smirked, "That our dear Sir Lancelot might fancy you Gwen."

"Don't be silly," Gwen blushed, ducking her head as she peeked to see that Lancelot was indeed staring at her.

"You can't deny that you don't fancy him back though," Marayna laughed.

"He's not really my type..."

"Really?" Marayna rolled her eyes playfully, "Then I didn't see you both flirting and blushing when you took his measurements then?"

"Rayna!" Gwen nudged her, laughing and blushing once more.

"So come on then, tell me...if you had to pick..." she nudged her, "Arthur or Lancelot?"

"But I don't have to and I never will."

"Spoilsort," Marayna stuck out her tongue, getting the other girl to laugh again.

"Besides, it's not like there's really much choice in it. Arthur's been staring at_ you_ for the last five minutes."

"He has not," Marayna countered, only to look up in time to see the prince look away from her, "Or perhaps he has," she murmured, unable to completely stop, despite her best efforts, the smile that made its way onto her face or a faint blush from reaching her cheeks. She looked over again to see that Morgana and Merlin had joined Arthur and Lancelot at the table and that her brother was now, very sneakily, trying to switch his empty goblet of ale for a full one.

"Oh no," she sighed before marching over to him.

Just as Merlin was about to bring the now-full cup to his lips, he felt it being pulled away from him, "Hey!" he nearly whined as he saw his sister place it on a servant's tray to be carried away.

"Oh no you don't Merlin," she pointed at him warningly, "I know how you are about your ale. No more."

"But Aya it's just _one cup_ and…" she gave him a fierce look at that, "But it's a celebration and…" and raised an eyebrow, "I just…" and then tilted her head, "Oh bugger it. Fine! No more ale for me tonight," he huffed, "Happy?"

She smiled, "Very, thank you."

Merlin grumbled something indistinguishable under his breath and glared at the prince and knight as they laughed. Luckily though, he didn't have to suffer through it for long as his sister rounded on them, "And how many cups of ale have _you_ had tonight Arthur?" she demanded, eyeing him.

"Uh...um…" Arthur began, sweating under Marayna's gaze...and firmly blaming the ale he'd had before she'd stepped over for his slipping tongue, "Not many."

"Not many as in..."

"Not many as in…too many?" he half-asked, not sure if that was the correct answer.

"Too right you are," she smirked, reaching out to take his goblet as well and hand it to a passing servant before looking to Lancelot, "And you?"

Lancelot, prepared for her to turn on him, smiled politely, "Just this one," he held up his goblet, "I know my limits in the realms of ale. On my honor, I shall not push it."

Marayna nodded, satisfied, and walked off with Morgana and Gwen, the two women laughing and asking her to teach them how she did that. They heard her mention something about disapproving mothers before they disappeared in the crowd.

Lancelot went to take a sip of his ale...only to pause when he noticed both the prince and Merlin glaring at him. He turned and quickly placed it on a passing servant's tray, watching it be carried off.

~8~

The next morning would find Gaius grumbling to Marayna about ruining his fun. It seemed he had been hoping to brew the most disgusting hangover potion for the boys to drink, to teach them a lesson about drinking, but she had prevented them from getting drunk enough to need it.

"Are you ready for your first day on the job Lancelot?" Gaius asked.

"That's _Sir_ Lancelot if you don't mind," Merlin joked...when two guards came bursting into the room and grabbed the knight in question.

"What are you doing?!" Marayna demanded, jumping up.

"King's orders," one of them replied, pulling Lancelot out of the room.

"Stop!" Merlin cried, but his calls fell on deaf ears.

~8~

They had been informed later that Uther had discovered the treachery of the false signet and had Lancelot imprisoned. Merlin and Marayna, not ones to take things sitting down, went to visit him, to see if there was anything that they could do to try and help the man.

"I don't know what to say to you Lancelot," Merlin shook his head as he looked at their friend, sitting on the cold cell floor.

"You're not to blame," Lancelot replied grimly.

"We _are_ though," Marayna sighed, "We were the ones who talked you into lying."

"Ah, but the choice was still mine," Lancelot countered, "And so the punishment is mine to bear, and mine to bear alone."

"I wish there was something we could do," Merlin mumbled, once again feeling horrible for the predicament the man was in.

"There is," Lancelot spoke, offering them a sad smile, "You can stop blaming yourselves."

If only it were that easy.

~8~

When they returned to Gaius's chambers Merlin plopped down on an old stool while Marayna sat beside him, facing him on the table, self loathing pouring off them in waves.

"Merlin," Gaius called, "Rayna."

"Whatever you do, don't say 'I told you so,'" Merlin grumbled, his head in his hands.

"I have no wish to gloat Merlin. What's done is done," Gaius answered wisely, "Here, come and take a look at this," Merlin and his sister got up and moved over to the book Gaius was looking at, "I realized by mistake, I've been looking for the creature in the wrong place, in the record of all known living things in the kingdom. And then I thought, what about creatures only recorded in legend, in myth? And I discovered this…" he turned the page to show a sketch of a winged creature.

"That's what attacked us!" Marayna gasped, "That's the creature!"

Suddenly a horribly familiar screeching resounded just outside the room from the courtyard. Merlin and Marayna glanced fearfully at each other before rushing out of the room just in time to see the monster descend. Marayna watched in horror as the creature fiercely attacked the knights, managing to knock Arthur to the ground a few times. She saw Merlin looking around for something to help...but the creature was already starting to fly away, Arthur watching it flee with a torch in his hands.

~8~

Uther strode into the Main Hall with Arthur at his side, "You said your knights were the best in the land," he began, patting his son on the back, "They proved that today."

"All I know is that it's still out there," Arthur replied, his jaw set, a grim expression on his face as his father led him into the center of the room. He glanced over to see Marayna and Merlin standing to the side with Gaius and couldn't help but soften his expression just slightly, at least no one had been harmed during the attack.

"Let's not wait for it," he heard his father speak and focused his attention back to him, "The kingdom has been menaced by this creature for too long. We finish this, now."

"Sire, if I may?" Gaius called, stepping up, Merlin and Marayna following.

"Gaius?" the king turned to him, seeming to have just noticed him standing there.

"I've been researching this creature, Sire. I believe it to be a Griffin."

"A Griffin?" Uther frowned, confused, he'd never heard of such a thing, "What's in a name?"

"A Griffin is a creature of magic," Gaius continued, stealing himself for what was to come for, as Marayna had mentioned and challenged him once before 'just _mention_ magic around the king' and now he had...

"I don't have time for this physician!" Uther seethed, already growing angry at how magic was a part of this.

Gaius flinched, sensing that, knowing the king's ire wasn't from the lack of information he'd provided about the Griffin, but because of WHAT it was, "It is born of magic, sire, and it can only be killed by magic."

"You are mistaken," Uther spat, "It's a creature of flesh and blood. Like any other, Arthur proved that today."

"I'm not so sure father," Arthur interrupted as though coming out of serious thought, critically recalling ever moment, every movement, and every attack featuring the Griffin, "I think there might be some truth in what he says."

"What _truth_?" Uther glared at his son.

"The creature was unharmed, sire," Arthur reported, slipping into a more formal speech and addressing of his father at the rise in the man's temper, "Our weapons seemed useless against it."

"Useless?" Uther scoffed, "I think not. No it's tasted our steal once, the next time will be its last! When will your knights be ready to ride again?"

Arthur sighed, already knowing it was a lost battle to argue against his father, "An hour, maybe two."

"Good," Uther nodded, before storming out of the room, "We finish this tonight."

Arthur shook his head and turned to glance at his servants, only for Marayna to roll her eyes, "Oh by all means," she gestured at the door Uther had stalked through, "Go ride to your death. It's not like the servants are ever right about anything."

Gaius looked sharply at his niece for a moment before grabbing her arm and pulling her out of the room, Merlin following behind as Arthur watched them go. He knew enough to know it wasn't her 'humor' leaking through just then but her annoyance. And he was annoyed as well, he was...starting to see that he was...just as bad as his father in that regard.

There was Gaius, a man he had known all his life, a man whose loyalty to Camelot was unquestionable, who had offered sage counsel and wise advice for decades. He was also a man learned in mystical happenings and creatures, one had to be when tending those wounded in such occurrences. If Gaius said it was a Griffin, that only magic could wound it...HE believed Gaius in that. But his father did not.

Because, no matter how good of 'friends' the two might be, his father truly did see Gaius as a servant of Camelot also. And he was starting to think that that...was wrong. And seeing Marayna's reaction to it, to her uncle, her beloved uncle, the Court Physician, the wisest and most clever man she knew, the one deserving of the utmost respect...being disregarded because of his station...

He didn't want to be like that.

He didn't want to ignore help no matter where it came from.

Now he just had to implement his own thoughts, maybe...maybe he should learn to trust Merlin and Marayna more.

~8~

Gaius grumbled the whole way back to his chambers about his niece's complete lack of respect. Needless to say, when she replied that it was 'just Arthur,' Gaius hadn't been too pleased. He was of the impression she was getting far too familiar with the lad, to speak to him in such a way. Merlin, while unable to hold his tongue most of the time, his words came out more jesting, light-hearted, thoughtful...whereas his sister was more harsh, biting, and sarcastic...which would NOT be a good thing for the king to hear her speak so with his son, her master.

"Is it true?" Merlin cut into their arguing over protocol and titles, "The Griffin can only be killed by magic?"

"Yes," Gaius sighed, rubbing his head, "I'm certain of it, if Arthur rides against it, he'll die."

"Then we need to find a way to stop it," Marayna agreed, seeming to forget about their argument, "Preferably before Arthur stabs it full on with his sword and does no harm to it," she added in a mutter, "Uther will only see reason when his son is brought back dead."

Hindsight always was seen in perfect vision.

"Where magic is concerned our king is blind to reason," Gaius admitted, "And yet magic is our only hope," he looked at them meaningfully.

Merlin shook his head, "You're not suggesting…"

"It is your destiny," Gaius answered, looking between the two, "The true purpose of your magic."

"You DID see the size of that thing, didn't you?" Marayna blinked, speaking dryly, "We face that, WE die then. And if we use magic and don't die...then we STILL die for using magic after it's killed."

"If you do not, then _Arthur_ will surely perish," Gaius countered.

"No, this is madness," Merlin shook his head furiously, stepping next to his sister, "We don't have magic that powerful. There must be another way."

"This is the only way."

"Do you hear yourself?" Marayna demanded, "You've been telling us, day in and day out, 'don't use your magic, hide your magic, do magic and it'll be your head!' And now you want us to USE it?! It's like you don't even care what happens to us right now," she added, ignoring the hurt look that flashed on her uncle's face.

"Oh, just, 'Do this, Merlin,'" Merlin continued, getting worked up as well, it was true, all that time Gaius hadn't wanted them to use their magic and now he was essentially telling them to do just that...in front of all the knights for how else would they be able to stop the Griffin besides facing it, "'Do that, Rayna, go and kill the Griffin. I'll just sit here and warm my feet by the fire!'"

"Merlin! Rayna!" Gaius cut in, frowning at the two of them, "You are the only things I care about in all this world. I will give my life for you without a thought. But for what? _I_ cannot save Arthur. It is not my destiny. You _know _this"

Merlin looked at his sister to see tears in her eyes and realized she was truly scared of the Griffin, of it hurting them. It was...the same thing he knew she'd felt when he'd been asked to drink the poison. For so long they had only ever had each other and their mother, mostly each other. They were the only other person who understood what it was like to grow up the way they had, where they had, around the people they had. They had always depended on each other and always swore to never let the other face anything alone. To face a Griffin...one of them could be hurt and then the other would be as a result, distracted by their sibling in pain.

Marayna swallowed and looked up to see the same fear in her brother's eyes. They looked at each other a long while before he took her hand, squeezing it in reassurance and promise. If they faced the Griffin, they would do it together yes, but...they would protect each other as well.

They sighed, turning their attention back to Gaius, "We're sorry," they said as one.

"I don't know what else I can say," Gaius lowered his head, still a bit hurt.

"Then we'll say it for you," Merlin nodded determinedly.

"We've only got till the knights are ready to find a spell that can kill that thing," Marayna finished.

~8~

Unbeknownst to them, at that very same moment Arthur strode into Lancelot's cell, "I should have known," he yelled, glaring down at the man stumbling to his feet, "How could I have been so stupid? You don't sound like a knight, you don't even _look_ like a knight."

"I'm sorry," Lancelot replied, bowing his head in shame.

"I'm sorry too...because Lancelot you _fight_ like a knight," Arthur admitted. He was so furious at the whole situation. Here was a great fighter who wouldn't be able to offer his strength and skill because he was locked in a cell, all for lying in an attempt to defend Camelot. How was that fair? How was that right or just? He took a breath, "And I need…Camelot needs..."

"The creature?" Lancelot asked, seeing what the prince was trying to say without him saying it.

"We could not kill it. I've...never faced things like it."

"I faced it myself, sire, some days past. I struck it full square. I wondered how it endured."

"There are those that believe this creature, this Griffin is a creature of magic," Arthur scoffed. Of course it would be, in a way it could be a genius plot by their enemies, if the Griffin had been sent by them, use a creature that can only be killed with magic...when magic _cannot_ be used back, "That only magic can destroy it."

"Do you believe this?" Lancelot tilted his head as he eyed the prince.

"It doesn't matter what I believe, the use of magic is not permitted. The knights must prevail on steel and sinew alone."

"Sire?" Lancelot began, hope rising within him at what Arthur might be offering him.

Arthur clenched his jaw and opened the cell door, "There's a horse waiting outside."

"Thank you, thank you sire," Lancelot beamed, rushing forward to thank the prince for this chance to help defend Camelot...but Arthur merely stepped away.

"Lancelot, take it and never return to this place," he ordered, turning away as the former knight's face fell.

"No, no _please_. It's not my freedom I seek. I only wish to serve with honor."

"I know," Arthur nodded. Once again, Marayna had been right. The man truly _would_ make a fine knight, he truly was a good and honorable and noble man.

"Then let me ride with you sire," Lancelot begged.

"I cannot," he turned to face him once again, "My father knows nothing of this. I release you myself, but I can do nothing more. Now go, before I change my mind."

Lancelot hesitated by the door for a moment before leaving. Arthur looked around the cell and took a breath. Perhaps one day, he could prove himself as good a man to those around him as Lancelot was.

~8~

"There," Gaius pointed to a spell in the book, "You must do this for Arthur."

Merlin frowned as he read the spell, which made Marayna frown at his frown, "I've never cast a spell of enchantment this powerful," he mumbled as she reached out and took his hand in hers, squeezing it supportively.

"Nothing less will kill it," Gaius simply handed him a small dagger, "Here, try. You have it within you, I know you do," he looked at them, "Both of you."

Merlin held the dagger out before him, squeezing his sister's hand as he stared at it, "_Bregdan anweald gafeluc_," he chanted.

...nothing happened.

He sighed and turned to his sister, who smiled encouragingly at him.

"Don't worry," Gaius added, trying to smile as well, "You've plenty of time."

Marayna just scoffed at that one.

~8~

_"__Bregdan anweald gafeluc_," Merlin stated firmly, staring at the dagger but it still did nothing so he turned, running a hand through his hair, passing it off to his sister.

"_Bregdan anweald gafeluc_," she tried, but still...nothing.

"Don't worry," Gaius comforted them, "I know you're trying."

"And failing," Merlin mumbled, taking the dagger from his sister.

"And if we fail out there, then Arthur..." Marayna trailed off, not willing to think about it. It...unsettled her actually, to think of Arthur...dying. She had seen a sort of...change in the prince since she and Merlin had been poisoned. It was like he'd received a shock of some sort, that had just changed his perspective of things or made him realize something. She had no idea what but...she honestly didn't want to experience the same. She didn't want to see him die.

"Rayna," Gaius began only to be interrupted by the door clashing open and Gwen running in.

"Merlin! Rayna," Gwen gasped, half out of breath, but knowing they were the only ones who stood a chance of helping stop the Griffin if what Gaius said was true and that only magic could kill it, "Lancelot's riding out to kill the Griffin."

"He's what?!" Marayna stared at her, eyes wide.

Honestly, how stupid could boys be?

...and then Merlin ran out of the room.

Apparently, _very_ stupid.

Marayna sighed, dropping her head for a moment and shaking it, before she too ran after him, ignoring her uncle's calls.

~8~

"We're coming with you," Merlin demanded as he managed to find Lancelot preparing his horse at the stables.

"No, you're not," he replied, seeing Marayna running up as well.

"Like you could stop us?" she countered, taking her brother's hands, putting up a united front.

"You're not soldiers," he stressed, as though that answered everything, "You could get hurt."

"So could you," Marayna counted, moving to prepare another horse, "So could Arthur. So could anyone at all in any sort of way. You can trip on a brick tomorrow and hurt yourself!"

"You said it yourself Lancelot," Merlin cut in, helping his sister, "Arthur needs all the help he can get," he swung himself up on the horse, holding out a hand for his sister to help her on behind him as they looked down at the would-be knight.

"So..." Marayna smirked, "Care to join us?"

Lancelot shook his head but quickly mounted his own horse, and they were off, following the sounds of screeching and shouting in the woods.

~8~

The three of them quickly made their way out to the forest where the sounds of battle reached them. Marayna glanced over at Lancelot, dressed in full armor, before her focus changed to scour the bodies lining the forest floor as a result of the Griffin attack, not even realizing she was looking for one in particular...until a brief flash of gold hair drew her attention.

"Arthur!" Marayna gasped, jumping off the horse before it had even stopped and running over to the fallen prince with her brother close behind her. They knelt down on either side of him, Merlin checking him as Lancelot rushed to them.

"Well?" the man asked, his concern for the prince clear in his voice.

"He's alive," Merlin smiled as he took his sister's hand, squeezing it. He could hear the brief flash of fear in her cry before though he knew she would never admit to feeling it.

The relieved moment was broken by the screech of the Griffin returning. Merlin and Marayna's head snapped towards the misty forest while Lancelot ran back to his horse, grabbing a lance he had brought just in time as the Griffin appeared. Lancelot charged, raising his lance and bracing himself for what he knew would be the end for if the mighty knights of Camelot fell against the beast with their swords and spears and their own lances...his hardly stood a chance...but he had to TRY.

Merlin stood as Marayna continued to kneel by Arthur, his head in her lap though she hardly even realized she'd done it, "Alright, it's now or never," she could hear her brother mumble before he held up his hands and concentrated, "_Bregdan anweald gafeluc_."

Nothing happened.

Time seemed to slow as Merlin watched Lancelot charge at the beast, getting closer and closer, "_Bregdan anweald gafeluc__!" _he tried again.

Still nothing.

He turned to his sister desperately, "It's not working!"

Marayna reached out a hand, taking hold of her brother's as she too concentrated on the spell, "_Bregdan anweald gafeluc__," _she chanted, closing her eyes as her brother joined with her, his gaze locked firmly on Lancelot's lance,_ "__Bregdan anweald gafeluc__!" _they shouted.

The lance suddenly began glowing blue with the combined strength and focus of their magic. And just in time too as Lancelot proved his skill yet again, pushing his weapon forward and striking the Griffin dead in its chest, turning just in time to see if fall to the ground, defeated.

Marayna jumped to her feet and rushed to her brother as he pulled her into a hug, spinning her around in the process. They cheered for their job well done, laughing in glee that the spell had worked! The Griffin was dead and Camelot was safe once more!

A groan reached them and they glanced over to see Arthur being to wake. Their eyes widened in shock as they comically looked at each other for a single moment...before making a mad dash back for the castle, not wanting to be seen. The only thought in their minds was that they wouldn't mind someone taking the credit for their success for once.

If it helped Lancelot reclaim his position as a knight, it would be well worth it.

~8~

Gaius immediately stood upon seeing his niece and nephew enter his chambers, not a scratch on them, "You did it."

"We did it," Merlin nodded, smiling in confirmation as his sister moved forward to hug their uncle.

"Thank god," he whispered as he hugged them both close, just...SO relieved that they were alive.

"Can't get rid of us that easily uncle," Marayna joked.

~8~

It was only a short while later, when they had gone in search of Lancelot, knowing that the first thing Arthur saw upon waking would be the man on his horse with his lance and the Griffin dead, that they found him standing outside the Main Hall, pacing. Uther's shouts of anger could be heard even though the thick wooden doors.

"What's happened?" Marayna asked as they drew closer to him.

"They are deciding my fate," he sighed.

"…the code is wrong!" Arthur's yell could be heard, which made Marayna smirk as, it seemed, Arthur was finally growing a backbone when it came to his father even if it was in something as small as a single code.

"They'll restore your knighthood," Merlin tried to assure the man.

"They HAVE to," she nodded, "You beat a Griffin!"

Lancelot just glanced at them, a knowing smile on his face, "But I didn't kill the Griffin…_you_ did."

"That's ridiculous," Merlin shook his head, trying to brush the whole thing off.

"'_Bregdan anweald_,'" Lancelot whispered to them, careful to keep his voice low enough where the guards by the doors wouldn't hear him, "I _heard_ you, I saw you," they looked at each other in alarm but he chuckled, "Don't worry, your secret's safe with me. But I cannot take the credit for what I did not do. There'll be no more lies, no more deceit."

"What're you going to do?" Merlin frowned, relieved that Lancelot was willing to bear the burden of their secret with them. He realized though, that the more (trustworthy) people that knew about it...the lighter he felt. First with Gwen, now Lancelot. It was...a heavy burden to bear and sharing it...well, it certainly made things easier and to have people keep such a thing quiet in Camelot of all places, well it truly spoke of their character, of their belief in a person being good at heart and...it made them all the closer for it.

Marayna smiled, sensing the direction her brother's thoughts were headed, though for a different reason. While he was pleased Lancelot was sharing their secret, taking the weight off of them...SHE was more pleased that Gwen and Lancelot had another thing in common.

"The only thing I can do," Lancelot replied before taking a breath and striding towards the Main Hall. He had pushed the doors open and entered before the guards even knew what he had done but they immediately went to restrain him.

"What is this?!" Uther demanded as the guards tried to pull the man who he had just learned saved them all out of the room.

"Let me speak," Lancelot requested, struggling to stay on his feet lest he be dragged out.

"Wait," Uther commanded, waving off the guards, "I'll hear him."

Lancelot nodded at the king, bowing before him and the prince, "Forgive me sire, I've come to bid you farewell."

"What is this Lancelot?" Arthur frowned, confused, here he was trying to get the man to be a knight again, just about succeeding too when he storms in saying he's leaving?

"I lied to you both and now there is conflict between you. And I cannot bear that burden, as you should not bear mine. I must start again, far from here. And maybe, one day, fate shall grant me another chance to prove myself a worthy Knight of Camelot."

"But Lancelot, you've already proved that to us," Arthur shook his head. He was actually starting to _like_ the man (despite a small, rather annoying voice (that sounded FAR too much like Morgana) in his head saying that wasn't entirely true because Marayna liked the man as well). There was finally someone who offered him a _challenge_.

"Then I must prove it to myself," Lancelot bowed again, "Your Highness, prince Arthur."

And with that, he walked out of the hall, the doors closing behind him as Merlin and Marayna watched him go sadly.

~8~

"Gwen?" Morgana called as she saw her maid, no, her _friend_, staring forlornly out the window, "Guinevere?" _that_ seemed to get her attention as she turned her head to face her Lady. Morgana smiled softly at seeing the distant look in the girl's eye, "Lancelot?"

Gwen blushed at having been caught watching the man prepare to leave from the window, but nodded, "Yes."

Morgana nodded as well in understanding. She moved forward and hugged her friend, "I'm sure he'll be back one day," she whispered soothingly. She hugged the girl tighter as she imagined what she would feel if..well, if Merlin ever left. But those thoughts quickly lead to the memory of the poisoned chalice and she did _not_ want to think on that, to think on him leaving in THAT way, "Until then," she pulled back, "We've a busy day ahead."

Gwen smiled, knowing what her Lady was trying to do, get her mind off it, "Yes, my Lady."

~8~

"Perhaps you were right Gaius," Merlin commented as he and Gaius watched Lancelot leave from the castle wall, "Perhaps Aya and I should never have gotten involved."

Gaius simply shook his head, "No Merlin, _I_ was wrong. Lancelot needed you two and you both needed Lancelot. Your destinies were entwined."

"Will he ever return?" he tilted his head as the image of the knight faded into the distance.

"That I cannot say."

"Well that settles it then," they heard a voice behind them, and turned to see Marayna walking away towards the castle from where she had been standing behind them, "This is going on the list."

"What list?" Merlin questioned as he turned to lean on the wall and watch his sister.

She stopped in the doorway to the stairs and turned to face them, "If I am to be Queen, things are going to change around here," she stated with finality.

Merlin smirked, "So you finally accept that you're to marry Arthur?"

He nearly laughed at the faint blush streaking her cheeks, but held his tongue. He knew that seeing Arthur half-dead had terrified his sister more than she was willing to say, it was something he felt...though he could be wrong as he'd been a bit delirious from having woken from a poisoning at the time...he had seen mirrored in Arthur when Marayna had failed to wake up after Gaius bestowed his cure for the poison they'd drunk. That sort of fear couldn't come from anything short of love or at the very least, the first stirrings of love. He wouldn't go so far as to say that she was IN love with Arthur at the moment, but...he could tell she felt something for the prince, that she was open to the idea of loving him in a way. And, if his sister ever did come to truly love the prince...then Arthur was in for some trouble.

His sister had an uncanny way of getting what she wanted.

He had briefly considered subtly threatening the prince about any intentions that may form towards his sister, but decided against it. His sister could handle herself and if Arthur even put a_ toe_ out of line, she wouldn't hesitate to let him have it, as she had proved many times before.

"And what shall you change?" Merlin continued, changing the subject slightly.

Marayna smirked, "Firstly, magic shall be returned to the kingdom."

"Of course," he nodded, "Can't have the queen executed now can we?"

"No we can't. I rather like my head where it is thank you very much," Merlin just laughed at that, "I want housing for orphans set up in other provinces of the kingdom," she continued, ticking items off on her fingers as she spoke, which made Merlin curious if she had just thought of this list now or if, perhaps, it had been flitting about in the back of her mind since the Dragon gave his prophecy, "Women shall be allowed to fight," Merlin snorted and she rolled her eyes, "Or at least be trained to defend themselves. Not all knights are honorable you know. There should be some laws protecting servants," she frowned at that, "We can't let servants die just because their masters are too stupid to understand what 'it's poisoned' means."

Merlin shook his head at that, those were just the sort of things his sister would concern herself with, "And what shall you do because of this?" he nodded over his shoulder at where Lancelot had disappeared.

"The nobility will _not _be the only ones allowed to be knights," she smiled, "Anyone who proves themselves worthy, regardless of station, shall be allowed to train."

Merlin smiled as well, he was just about to comment when Gaius, who had been nodding along with the various things Marayna would wish to see changed in the kingdom, suddenly tensed. His eyes widened as he gaped at his niece, "What do you mean you're to marry Arthur!?"

Merlin and Marayna looked at each other for a moment before laughing, taking their uncle's arm to lead him inside and explain a very important set of destinies that an overgrown lizard had told them about.

A/N: Lol, I hope you enjoyed this chapter :) I really wanted someone to sort of put Arthur in his place about how he treated Lancelot. I like to think of this chapter and the Poisoned Chalice as a parallel. Arthur saw Marayna 'dead' and here Marayna saw Arthur 'dead,' they both felt that flash of fear at seeing it and...it sort of kicked them into noticing the other more ;)

I love Gaius's reaction ^-^

Some notes on reviews...

Aww thanks! I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far :) I don't think I'll ever stop writing, I love it way too much ^-^ I hope one day I can be a published (actual books lol) author, that's my ultimate dream :)

Oh the Marayna/Arthur...(Marthur? Maraythur? Arayna? no idea about this pairing name lol)...kiss, well, let's just say one member of the couple won't be expecting it when it happens ;)

Marayna will try to visit Aurora, but since it's the king's stables she's REALLY not supposed to be there, so if she does it would only be mentioned in passing ;) Arthur won't tell his father, mostly because of the whole 'no one can enter the stables' thing, he doesn't want her to get in trouble :( But nope, he didn't see her use magic. He wasn't in the stables till she was already near Aurora's stall and he was knocked out when she used magic after ;)


	8. A Look Into the Past

A Look Into the Past

Arthur was particularly brutal to his knights in the months to come following Lancelot's near-knighthood. It seemed that he had a new standard to hold the training knights to. Marayna and Merlin truly felt for all those who faced Arthur in training as he held nothing back. It was actually getting to the point where they had had to request more noblemen from the area to train as some knights were too injured to continue their training till they healed.

At first they had been looking forward to the new men coming to Camelot, just for some new faces and change...until three things happened. First, Merlin had realized that each of the men, most of whom were quite good-looking, were to be introduced to the Lady Morgana, whom Merlin suspected Uther was trying to find a suitor for. That did not sit well with the young warlock, especially since he and Morgana had grown closer in the last couple months. He had taken to delivering her draught each night and staying till he was sure she would sleep soundly through the night, which the noblewoman was eminently thankful for. He had taken up the habit of glaring at any man who so much as looked at her, adding that with the glaring he did with the men who even glanced at his sister (and Gwen at times), he almost never stopped glaring.

That was connected to the second event that happened. These newer nobles were far too observant of his sister's beauty. True, his sister adamantly denied being beautiful, Merlin insisted she was fair to look at and was absolutely radiant when Morgana and Gwen would fix her up for banquets. It did not help that she had taken to trying to get away with wearing her tunic and leggings whenever _not_ in the direct view of the king. He never outright called her beautiful, but he did try to get her to see she wasn't some wizened old witch. She had a more...subtle beauty to her. They both had cheekbones and something odd about their face, him his ears and her her eyes and lips which she claimed were just a bit lopsided or some such rubbish. True they weren't exactly symmetrical, but whose was?

It seemed the nobles HAD noticed her subtle beauty though, a few of them at least, and would sneak glances at her when they thought no one was looking, unfortunately for them, two men always were. Merlin and, surprisingly, Arthur kept a close eye on the men whenever they were around Marayna. Merlin, of course, because she was his sister and he would personally see to it that the men suffer incredible, mysterious, pain if they even_ touched_ the girl. Arthur because he did not want his servant to get too intimidated by the men and run off back to Ealdor, leaving him short a servant...or so he told himself. The fact that the other nobles were not in the presence and scrutiny of their own fathers and could basically do whatever or pursue whomever they wished played _no_ part in that whatsoever.

Of course not.

Not at all.

Though, he began to doubt he'd have any problems with this little development, Marayna had shown absolutely _no_ interest in any of the new men except one, and only then it was to get close enough to him to kick him in a very sensitive area after she learned that said knight had laid a wandering hand on Gwen's bum for a moment. Needless to say, the nobleman had been immediately taken to Gaius for treatment and fled the castle the next morning. Which truly just proved how dim and ill-suited the man was to be a knight in the first place if he hadn't thought to report her to the king and was intimidated by a woman...though, to be fair, Morgana intimidated the hell out of him.

The last thing that happened that made Merlin and Marayna question their enthusiasm regarding the arrival of the men...was the fact that they were expected to clean out extra rooms in the castle to lodge the rest for when they arrived. They were currently following Arthur to the other side of the castle where, apparently, it was warmer, though neither couldn't tell. If felt just as cold here as in the rest of the castle.

"Right then," Arthur turned around to face them, "Clean and air these rooms by tonight, the last batch of men shall be arriving soon for training."

Marayna leaned to her left and Merlin to his right to look around Arthur at the long hallway of doors, each of which held some sort of bedroom behind it, "You're joking," Merlin breathed, he _had_ to be. There was no way they would finish all those rooms by tonight.

"Arthur," Marayna began, "Even if we split up, we wouldn't be able to clean all these."

"So work together," Arthur rolled his eyes as though it should be simple. Merlin and Marayna looked at each other, their eyes wide at how stupid Arthur's statement was, "Get one room done in half the time and move to the next."

Marayna was about to open her mouth to tell him just _how_ stupid that was because, if they got it done in half the time, it would _still_ take them the same amount of time to do two rooms together as doing them separately. Unfortunately, Merlin lashed out and covered her mouth with his hand, "Yes, sire," he mumbled, ignoring the glare from Marayna and the chuckle from Arthur as he strode away.

Marayna reached up and yanked Merlin's hand away, "And how do you think we'll be able to get through these rooms working together?"

Merlin simply walked to the archway at the end of the hall that connected to the stairs, the only way to get to the hall. He reached out a hand and whispered, "_Clipung ús,"_ motioning his hand along the archway. He turned to face his sister, smirking, '_Now, we can use magic to clean some of the rooms while we work on the others._'

She smiled as well, '_And if anyone comes up the stairs, the charm will warn us and we can make the magic stop._'

'_Exactly,_' Merlin nodded.

"You are a genius brother dear," she laughed, before sighing as she looked at the long hall, "Come on, best start then," she walked down to the farthest door at the end of the hall and entered it as Merlin did the same to the room across from her, "_Afeormian,_" she hissed, watching as the room began to clean itself. She could hear Merlin mutter the same spell behind her as she carefully shut the door and faced her brother before they walked back to the archway and entered their first rooms there.

The smile on Marayna's face quickly fell as she slowed in her walking, finally coming to a stop just as she stepped fully into the room, as though a gust of wind had stopped her, making her stumble back. A strange feeling filled her as she rested her hand on the wall beside her for balance, before she lurched forward.

When she looked up, she was no longer in the old dusty room with her brother making noise behind her.

Instead...everything was blurry, glowing in a soft orangey-pink tone around her. She tried to take a step but it felt like she was walking through some sort of thick liquid that was slowing her movements. She reached out, curling her hand around the corner of the wall to try and propel herself into the room when a figure rushed past her and out of the room. It looked like a woman, with dark hair in a light dress, red or pink she might have guessed from the shading. The woman was crying, she could hear it, she could see it in how the woman's shoulders were hunched, her hands to her face. She turned her head to follow the sight of the woman disappearing out the door, only turning back when she heard an echoing sound of what seemed like anguished wails. With all her strength, she pulled herself forward to look around the corner of the wall and into the room.

She nearly gasped at what she saw.

The room was dark, illuminated only by two soft candles that were glowing on a table beside the bed. In the bed was a young woman, appearing to be sleeping. Though she couldn't see the woman's features or anything clearly for that matter, the sense of foreboding left Marayna to guess that the woman was not, in fact, sleeping but instead that she was dead. Clutching the woman's hand was another figure, it seemed male and in deep pain. Clearly the deceased woman was important to him as his heartbroken sobs indicated. There was suddenly another noise from behind the man, in a small basket set on a chest was a squirming figure, a baby crying for its mother.

The figure on the bed quickly moved, twisting so he could reach the basket without leaving the bedside and took the child in his arms, cradling it as he rocked himself back and forth, "I'll kill them all!" she heard him shout, his voice sounding like it was echoing around her, reverberating right out of the walls themselves, when she was startled by the feeling of a hand on her shoulder.

She snapped her head to the left and saw her brother, clearly in color, staring at her concernedly. Letting out a shuddering breath, she quickly fled from the room, running across the hall to lean against the wall as she began breathing heavily, clutching her chest as the tremors from whatever that was left her.

Merlin was at her side instantly, wrapping an arm around her shaking form and holding her. She knew that he knew what had happened, it had only happened twice before now and never gave her any warning at all in when it would happen, "Was it like last time?" he asked, she simply nodded, "What did you see?"

She took a breath, "A man," she answered, "I saw a man, mourning his wife. I think she died in childbirth."

Merlin simply nodded, understanding that it was hard for her to talk after an experience like that. The first time this happened, she hadn't spoken a word for a week, far to terrified of what had happened and how little control she'd had over it than what she actually saw. They had been visiting an old friend of their mother's who had just lost her husband to bandits when she had gone to visit their son in a neighboring village. Marayna had gone to fetch something for the woman in the woman's bedroom and hadn't come back. Merlin had gone to check on her and found her huddled in the corner of the room, crying. A week later, she had finally told him that she had seen the man murdered as though she had been standing right there in that room, watching the whole thing and unable to help. Neither knew what had happened or why, but when it happened again, they began to piece things together.

The second time had been _years_ later, when they were exploring the woods and she had rested against a tree with a few scars in its bark. A moment later she had jumped back from it as though it bit her and was shaking. He'd held her while she said something about the bad men and the rope. He'd subtly asked his mother about the tree a few days later, only for her to explain that it was a hanging tree. One where the criminals of the village, the really foul ones were hung for their crimes. When he'd told Marayna about it, they realized she had been able to glimpse a bit of the past from just touching the object.

They didn't know why it happened, they didn't know when it would happen next. So they'd tried to practice on other objects, to see if she might be able to control it...but it never worked. And it happened so rarely, truly only 2 times (before now) in her entire life, so they didn't worry much on it. As best they could determine, it only seemed to happen when the event was either very recent or so powerful that it left echoes. They hadn't really been able to explain it though, because HE didn't have that ability either. They both knew that Morgana dreamed the future, but for her it was a near daily thing, it happened all the time. For Marayna it was so sporadic and random it was hard to guess when it would happen next, and she was never prepared for it.

"I can't go in there Merlin," Marayna's voice brought him out of his reminiscing, "I just can't, it…it makes my heart hurt."

"I understand," he whispered, dropping a kiss into her hair, trying to calm her.

"He was so sad, the man," she murmured after a moment of rocking in her brother's arms, it always seemed to calm her, that soothing motion. He just had a gift like that, though he never believed her when she said so, he could calm down anyone just with his presence. She had mentioned that Morgana was proof of that in how she slept better when Merlin stayed by to watch over her even an hour or two, but he had countered that Arthur was proof that it was not as the man continued to get riled up and overreactive.

Merlin nodded, stepping back, "I'll clean this room," he nodded behind him then to the door behind her, "And you clean that one. I doubt Arthur will be checking on us so soon. We should be able to finish them and then work on the rest together."

She nodded as well, rubbing just below her eyes so she wouldn't cry. She always hated crying in front of anyone, except her brother. They had seen each other at their worst, but she didn't want Arthur to see tear stains. She didn't want him to think her just another weak female, she didn't want to think of herself as one either and getting spooked by a simple room was not exactly brave.

Merlin gave her a smile and turned to enter the room, shutting the door behind him as she did the same with the room behind her.

~8~

The next day would find a rather distracted Marayna wandering the castle. Merlin was with Gwen, helping her deliver armor and weapons to the new knights while Arthur began training them. He had been so impressed by their ability to, as he said, 'finally get something right' by cleaning all the rooms in the wing the day before, that he allowed them a few hours to themselves today.

Which was just what Marayna needed as she quickly made her way down the flights of stairs to the Dragon's cavern, torch in hand. She found him dozing lazily on his rock perch when she reached the bottom steps. He lazily opened his eyes and smiled as he saw her. Over the last month or so she had regularly visited him for stories of his adventures, information he was actually glad to share.

"Ah, the young witch returns," he straightened up, "Have you thought of which story you'd like to hear this time?"

She nodded, "Do you know the story about Ygraine?"

The Dragon nearly fell off his rock, that was...NOT what he was expecting, "Why do you ask?"

She bit her lip and looked away. She had a hunch that the woman she had seen in the vision had been the Queen, Arthur's mother. She didn't know any other person who had lived in the castle that had died in childbirth, not that she knew everyone who had ever lived in the castle, but what the man said, 'I'll kill them all,' it WOULD explain Uther at least a bit. She didn't recall much from when she'd 'died' during that whole poison incident, she actually could hardly remember what she'd said to Arthur after that, something about his mother, but...she knew enough of Camelot's history to know that the Queen had died only a very short while after Arthur had been born...and that room...she just got a feeling that was where it happened.

She took a breath, "I think I saw her death," she told the Dragon, "And I was wondering if you could tell me about it, if it _was_ what I saw."

The Dragon looked at her curiously, that was...an interesting development. Even _he_ hadn't known about her slight skill to see the past. Though, now that he thought on it, it made sense, if one magical woman in the castle could see the future, another should see the past, for the natural balance of things. He had expected it to be Merlin though, given his destiny and its involvement with Morgana.

"It is a very painful and devastating story to hear," he sighed, "Not just for Arthur's loss but for all of magic as well."

She set her face firmly, "I want to know."

He nodded, motioning for her to sit with his head as he always did when he began a story, "The Lady Ygraine was a magnanimous woman," he began, "Wife of Gorlois before she was Queen of Camelot," Marayna's eyes widened a bit at that, she hadn't known the Queen was married before Uther. The Dragon chuckled deeply at that, "Yes, she was married to another, but that did not stop Uther from pursuing her. He made his affection for her quite known to all in his court, including her husband. Gorlois immediately left Camelot with Ygraine, which did nothing but anger Uther. Not only that, but leaving without the king's permission gave him the right to pursue them. And by pursue I mean…"

"Launch war," she answered knowingly, somehow she felt like she knew the story already but was just...rediscovering something long forgotten. She often felt like that when around the Dragon so it did not disturb her nor him when she cut him off.

"Unfortunately," he nodded, "Gorlois and Uther fought hard, until Uther bested him and took his life. This only served to leave Ygraine widowed and in need of a husband, a position which Uther immediately filled."

"Poor Ygraine," she murmured, giving a slight grimace as the thought of anyone being married to Uther.

"Not entirely. Ygraine was quite taken with Uther as well, which was why Gorlois saw fit to separate them as quickly as possible. His death would be honored as a way for the two to be together. And they were happy and kind, and Albion prospered greatly…"

"So what happened?" she had to as as the Dragon trailed off in memory, "How exactly did Ygraine's death lead to Uther devastating the kingdom?" for it was devastated, it was in a perpetual state of fear and anxiety, it truly was on the brink and struggling to survive.

"It was discovered that the Queen was barren. No matter what Gaius tried to do, both magically and medicinally, she could not seem to beget a child."

"But _Arthur_…" she shook her head, Arthur was clearly the son of Ygraine, she had apparently told him as much during her near-death.

"Yes Arthur, the child of magic," he ignored the girl's gape of shock, clearly she was not expecting Uther to have used magic to have Arthur, "Contrary to what you might think, Uther was once an embracer of magic. While he could not do any himself, he had court sorcerers and allies that could. One of his good friends was a young sorceress. He turned to her for help as she was in training to be a Priestess of the Old Religion and, as such, Uther thought she might know what could be done to help, beyond the scope of Gaius's knowledge."

He paused as he saw a frown on the girl's face as she tried to work out what he had said. Slowly, a look of realization grew, "Nimueh?" she guessed, really REALLY hoping the answer was going to be something negative...

But the Dragon merely nodded solemnly, "And Nimueh certainly knew a way for Ygraine to conceive."

"No," she whispered, shaking her head, knowing where it was going, "To make a life…"

"A life must be taken," he finished, serious, "Uther readily agreed, thinking that he could sacrifice a criminal, one who would die anyway, to satisfy the magic. Ygraine conceived a son and soon Arthur was born. But a criminal was _not_ the one that Nimueh selected as the sacrifice…"

"Ygraine," she mumbled, feeling sick at the knowledge of just how cruel the sorceress was, "Why?"

"Nimueh…" he trailed, not sure how to continue, "She was rather fond of the King."

"She loved Uther?" she nearly shouted, half disgusted and half shocked. Not that she couldn't imagine someone loving Uther, but something about the image was wrong to her, as though Uther should only be with Ygraine.

"Loved is far too strong a word. She loved the _King_, not Uther. Do you see?" she shook her head in confusion, "She wanted to be Queen. Could you imagine the sway it would hold for followers of the Old Religion, to have a Priestess of theirs be Queen? The Old Religion would become far more respected and revered from such a union."

"And Nimueh thought that if Ygraine was gone, she could take her place," she nodded, understanding.

"Yes," he nodded as well, "She thought Uther would be so distraught over the loss of his wife, which he was, that she could pick up the pieces and that he would be so grateful that he would wed her. That, if she did not tell him SHE had selected Ygraine, but that the magic had, that he would see it as a most unfortunate twist of fate and not place the blame on her alone. Unfortunately she underestimated the power of his love for Ygraine, no other would do and anyone who took her from him would suffer dearly."

"And so he went after sorceresses and sorcerers alike," she frowned, "Anyone who could do magic, just because of Nimueh."

"He couldn't see that Nimueh was the one who chose Ygraine to die, nor did she tell him till it was too late. When she saw his tirade against magic, she tried to take back her plots, to save her kin and explain her actions."

"As though Uther would believe that," she muttered. Half-mad with grief, the king would surely have though it a mere trick of Nimueh's to save the other magic users.

"Indeed he did not. He thought only that magic had chosen his wife to die. And if magic took someone so good from him, then magic must be evil."

"But magic gave him Arthur!" she shouted, jumping up, "Unless Arthur is evil, magic would have to be good."

"Magic is neither, it is…"

"The one who wields it that decides its intent," she finished, rolling her eyes.

"Gaius has taught you well," he chuckled, "I did not think you would know about the balance of life but clearly Gaius…"

"Gaius didn't teach me that," she said quietly, her eyes widening slightly as though just realizing what she had said only moments earlier, "But…I knew it…how?" she looked up at him but he looked away, "No," she demanded, nearly stomping her foot at him, nearly, "How did I know it? How do I know things? Like about Merlin's destiny and today with Ygraine. How?"

The Dragon looked down at her, seeing her staring at him defiantly, and sighed, "That, young witch, is a story for another day."

He hoped that would be enough for her, that it would hold her at bay, the promise of telling her one day soon instead of right that moment. While he could fly away if need be, he dared not. She was far more powerful than she thought she was, both she and her brother were, and he could see her becoming angry.

"Just know...it is all a part of your destiny, yours and your brothers, and the shift in the fate of Camelot that occurred upon your births."

Marayna frowned at that, more...curious about her supposed-destiny and how a simple thing like a birth could shake the fate of a great kingdom like Camelot. Yes, she and Merlin had magic, but they were just two people, "A shift?"

The Dragon smirked internally at that, knowing that baiting her with that would ease her away from her demands to know more about her magic, "Arthur was to die at the hands of the sorceress Mary Collins…"

"But Merlin saved him!" Marayna cut in.

"That he did," the Dragon nodded, "When Merlin was born, we saw the rise of a glorious Albion. Where Arthur, through knowing Merlin, would return _magic_ to the kingdom."

Marayna smiled softly at that, because of her brother, Albion would become a great kingdom with magic again. But a moment later her smile faltered as a thought struck her, "But if Merlin makes it a great kingdom, why was _I_ born? If Camelot would become that...what need is there for ME?"

The Dragon sighed and looked away, "With the shift in destiny and the rise of Albion, we also saw its fall. A great betrayal would shatter the foundation of Arthur's reign and Albion would fall into ruin as Arthur fell to a death not even Merlin could save him from...magic reacted against that fate," he looked at her with a soft smile, he was...quite coming to like speaking with her. In a way, he was considering only giving 'straight answers' as Merlin always requested, when it was Marayna alone, just so that Merlin would have to deal with his 'riddles,' _Merlin_ never came to visit just to...talk to him, "At your birth, another great shift of destiny occurred, Albion rose and remained for centuries as the greatest kingdom in the world."

Marayna let out a relieved breath, even though she knew that she was destined to be Queen and make the kingdom great, she had never thought of what it would be before she had been born. They remained in silence for a long while, just...thinking on the destiny she and Merlin were burdened with...

When the Dragon cut into her thoughts, "You'd best be leavening, I think your master is looking for you."

She nodded vaguely, still distracted from the information she'd been given, "Thank you, for explaining everything to me," she murmured, before slipping out of the cavern and leaving the Dragon to his solitude.

~8~

The Dragon had been right, of course, Arthur _was_ looking for her. He had cornered Merlin and was just about to look for her when she arrived. They were to accompany the prince into town to collect some few last-minute supplies for training. As Uther didn't trust anyone but Arthur and Morgana with the money he was going to give for the supplies, Arthur was forced to go as well.

They had managed to gather the supplies quickly and were just walking around the market, looking at the various trinkets and booths that had been set up. Marayna groaned as Merlin spotted a man sitting at a small table with a little crowd gathered around him. He had three bowls face down on the table and was mixing them up as the people keenly watched. Merlin immediately grabbed her arm and half-pulled her to the man, Arthur following curiously behind them.

"Alright sir," the man at the table grinned, glancing up at a rather large man before looking back to the bowls, "Which will it be?"

The customer examined the bowls for a moment before pointing to the bowl on the left. The man lifted that bowl to reveal nothing but air, "Oh, I'm sorry sir," he replied, not sounding sorry at all as he held out his hand, "That'll be one coin," the customer begrudgingly held out a coin for the man before turning and stalking off, "Who'll be next?"

Before anyone could answer, Merlin stepped up, "Us sir," he replied, turning to Arthur, "Could I borrow a coin or two sire?"

Arthur stared at him for a moment or two a look of utter shock on his face. What was Merlin thinking? Asking him for money in the middle of the market? Of course, he _had_ extra coin, but to have a servant ask _money_ of a _prince_? It was completely improper and…

"Oh Merlin," Marayna spoke from beside him, "Where are your manners?" Arthur nodded, finally Marayna seemed to be catching on to protocol, "You should let Arthur go first."

He nearly blanched at that comment, "What?" just because he should go first didn't mean he needed or wanted to, he hadn't a clue how to play it anyway.

"Oh of course," Merlin replied, smirking, he seemed to see that fact in Arthur's face, "My Lord, after you."

He stepped back, waiting for Arthur to step up. Not one to look a fool among his people, the prince stepped up to the table and placed a coin in the man's hands. The man smirked, pocketed the coin, and lifted the bowls to reveal a small pebble hidden beneath the right bowl before replacing them. He then began to shift them around and mix them, swiping them until Arthur hadn't the faintest idea where it could be.

The man finished mixing the bowls and looked up at the prince expectantly and Arthur subtly turned to Merlin and Marayna, "What am I supposed to do?" he asked quietly, he truly had never been allowed to partake in such games as a child and he genuinely had no idea what to do next.

Merlin chuckled, "Pick one," he answered, "If you find the pebble, you get twice your money back."

"Oh," Arthur nodded, turning back to the man. He looked down at the bowls, examining them like the last man before pointing to the center. Unseen, behind him Marayna grimaced, a sign Merlin saw that it was the wrong bowl. Just as he expected, like last time, the pebble wasn't there.

The man and some of the peasants chuckled at the prince's loss, when Marayna stepped up. "Arthur, might I have a coin or two to try?"

Hoping that the girl would have better luck, or at least get the focus off his loss, he handed her five coins. Far too many than was proper for a prince to waste on such a game, but he didn't care he just wanted the eyes off his failure. She smiled thankfully at him before handing the man the coins.

The man just smirked as he laughed at her. He had been working this table _far_ too long and knew every trick to throw off the person watching short of cheating and removing the pebble entirely. He'd made quite a profit off of the peasants and so far, barely anyone ever guessed correctly. A few lucky ones had bested him, but overall he came out on top nearly every time. And so he lifted the bowls to reveal the pebble to be on the left before dropping the bowls and mixing them up. The girl simply smiled as she watched the mixing before making her first mistake and looking up at the boy beside her.

Arthur nearly groaned as Marayna took her eye off the prize to smile at Merlin. So caught up in his regret at handing the girl five coins was he that Arthur didn't even notice the secretive smile Merlin sent back at her.

Marayna looked back down at the bowls as the man finished swiveling them around. She tilted her head as she casually looked at the bowls. She reached out, hovering her hand above a bowl as though she were about to lift it herself...before moving to the next and then the last before smiling wider and moving back to the center bowl. She lifted it, smirking in triumph at the man's shock when the pebble was revealed to all present.

"That'll be ten coins please," she held out her hand to the man, who grumbled as he fished the coins out of his pocket. She thanked him before walking off, Merlin and Arthur following close behind her.

~8~

"I still don't know how you did it," Arthur mumbled as they finished putting the supplies away (well, really, as Merlin and Marayna put the supplies away and he 'supervised') and walked down the halls of the castle.

Merlin smirked and draped an arm over his sister's shoulder, "Aya just knows things," he shrugged, "No idea how, but it's better to just go with it."

"Is that true?" Arthur asked with interest as he looked at the girl, blushing a bit from her brother's compliment.

She nodded, "I've always been able to tell things, guess things mostly."

"Like what?" Arthur tilted his head in curiosity.

"I can tell when people are lying," she furrowed her brow as she thought on what else she could do, "I can usually tell if I'm being watched, sometimes I can sort of guess at the answer to something. I guess...I can just sense things around me and understand what it tells me."

It made absolutely no sense whatsoever to Arthur, though Marayna seemed able to tell.

She sighed, "It's like when you're hunting and you know when someone's following you. Or you feel that your prey is nearby without actually seeing it. Or when you just know something bad's going to happen. Only, a few times, I can tell if something bad's already happened."

Arthur squinted at her, an idea coming to him. Just as they reached Gaius's chambers, Arthur hesitated, "Mara, I need your help with something. If you would?" he held his hand out for her to take.

She glanced back at her brother for a moment, but he just shrugged, "I have to deliver Morgana's draught."

She nodded and accepted Arthur's hand, letting him lead her away.

~8~

Merlin knocked briefly on the familiar door before him, not even having to wait a moment longer when it opened to reveal a stunning Morgana prepared for bed. As always, Merlin found himself speechless and stunned, and simply held up his hand with the small vial.

Morgana smiled, though she secretly smirked to herself as she saw Merlin's reaction. She relished in the different ones she got from him, it made her feel...beautiful and warm and happy to see him in such a state because of her. Though, she would never tell him that. She'd practically had to _beg_ Gwen to keep her from telling Merlin that she purposefully dressed herself in such a manner to get to him. If Merlin found out what lengths she went to just to see him flush and be struck dumb by her, she would forever be embarrassed.

There was just...something about Merlin that made her smile. In all respects, she should have never been attracted to him. He wasn't noble, he wasn't muscular, he couldn't fight, he wasn't a knight, he wasn't even conventionally handsome. But what he was, was something far _more_ than that. He was loyal, sweet, humorous, brave, mysterious, charming, honest, gangly, clumsy, with big ears and a grin that made her go weak in the knees. She would not change a thing about him and every little flaw she found in him made her like him more.

She desperately sought his approval, even if he didn't know he was giving it. She dressed impeccably to get him to notice her, though Gwen insisted that she could dress in one of the large flour sacks in the kitchen and Merlin would still find her stunning. She didn't dare go that far to see how Merlin felt though. There were many very lovely servant girls that could easily steal Merlin's attention away from her, ones that didn't have the king watching their every move and trying to set them up with arrogant knights.

She didn't know what she would do if Merlin ever gave 'her grin' to anyone else. Yes, she noticed a distinct variation in his smiles, saw one that only seemed to appear when he smiled at _her_. It made her heart flutter when he gave it to her because she knew he didn't give it to anyone else. It made her feel special and even a bit loved. She didn't dare allow herself the hope that Merlin might possibly love her, if he didn't…she didn't think she could stand it.

Because...she was quite certain there was a very real possibility she might be falling in love with the sweet and adorable servant.

Which led to her problem. She wanted to be with Merlin more than anything, to see what might come of her feelings, but there was so much at stake. If Uther _ever_ found out, Merlin would surely be executed. And she knew, even now, even though she hadn't quite sorted through her feelings for the man, that she wouldn't be able to bear it if Merlin was gone. She wanted to be with him, to have him hold her in his arms and never let go, to...and she blushed at this...to kiss him whenever she wished. She hadn't been able to truly enjoy the kiss she'd bestowed upon him when he'd been poisoned, it had been too brief and quick and she hadn't planned it and she'd ended it far too soon but...she thought about it, a lot, more than was proper, the thought of kissing a servant, of kissing Merlin. But she knew she couldn't do anything outright that Uther might notice. And so, she had to live every day with the fear that Merlin might find another girl he could actually be with and leave her behind.

That was why she loved the nights, she was even starting to hope for nightmares if it meant Merlin would stay by her at night and hold her hand as she knew he had been doing for months now. She still had nightmares sometimes, but they didn't frighten her as they did because she knew that she would always be safe if Merlin was there. When he was with her, even just sitting beside her bed as she slept, she felt comfort in her dreams, even the nightmares.

She hated the nights when he wasn't able to come give her the draught and Gaius had to or Marayna did. Those were the days she despised Arthur for working Merlin so hard. Most days he was bearable to Merlin, and she was thrilled, she loved seeing him walking around the castle, looking happy and rested. But sometimes Arthur would grow a bit grouchy and pour on extra chores for Merlin and his sister and both would be too exhausted to do anything short of collapse in their beds. The next day Morgana would see Merlin shuffling around half-dead and her heart would clench painfully in her chest at seeing him so worn.

But enough of that, she scolded herself, Merlin was here now. It was better to appreciate the times she could spend with the man who had so captivated her. Ever since the first day he'd arrived at Camelot, she had been taken with him. She had been watching the execution of the Collins boy and saw a handsome traveler enter the castle with a bright red neckerchief and had been a bit smitten, she had to admit.

"Hello Merlin," she breathed, opening the door more for him to enter the room.

"My…my Lady," he managed to choke out, still staring at her, wide-eyed.

She smiled softly and took the potion from him, downing it in one gulp. She felt the effects almost immediately and swooned a bit. Merlin caught her as he always did and led her to her bed. She had to do this, every time he delivered the draught. She couldn't risk being so close to him in such intimate conditions, at night, with her in her night gown, him so close, in her room. If she didn't take the potion as soon as he arrived, she was sure to do something that would either embarrass them both and set them back in the familiarity they had grown into or spark something much greater. She couldn't risk the familiarity, even if Merlin were to choose another woman, she just wanted to be near him. But when she thought on the possibility of 'something greater' she realized she'd fooled herself into believing the familiarity would be enough. She loved spending time with him, even if it was in her dreams, with him really holding her hand.

"Here you are, my Lady," he murmured as he helped her get in the bed.

"How many times must I remind you, Merlin," she whispered, her words slurring as her eyes drooped and she lay down, "It's _Morgana_."

He smiled, brushing a strand of hair out of her face as she pulled the blankets up, thinking on her request that he call her that, even if just in private, "Good night, Morgana."

"Will you stay?" she murmured.

"Always," he breathed, taking his seat at the side of her bed.

And like always, he tortured himself by sitting so close to her yet not being able to truly touch her. He only ever laid a hand on her, beyond simply holding her hand, when she was in the midst of a nightmare. He didn't do more or do so earlier as...well, he was sure he'd do something stupid like over step the proper boundaries and ruin whatever it was they had.

He watched her carefully for an hour or so, trying to detect any sign of nightmare, but saw none. After a while, he was quite convinced that tonight would be a night without nightmares to plague her. But he spoke too soon for as soon as he stood up to leave, she began shaking in her sleep and muttering. He quickly knelt by her side and took her hand in his, rubbing soothing circles on the back of her hand with his thumb.

He frowned as his ministrations didn't seem to help. Morgana started tossing and turning now, her brow scrunched in what looked like pain and fear. He looked around the room for something to help but knew there was only him.

"Gaius…beetles…fire," she whimpered in her sleep, drawing his attention to her. She often would mutter about her nightmares, half of which she wouldn't remember in the morning, "Merlin…" his eyes widened at that, she'd never called out his name in sleep before.

He looked around once more, staring intently at the door until he heard a small click of the latch being slid into place. He wouldn't want to get caught with what he was about to do next. He carefully stood and made his way onto the bed, being careful as he crept over Morgana not to wake her. Once he was on her left, he laid down and pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly and whispering soothing words into her ear.

Almost immediately she calmed and lay still in his arms, her one hand coming up to clutch at his shirt, just below his neckerchief. He tried to pry her hands away from him so he might slip out but her grip was relentless and only made her wind her other arm around him as well, so he simply settled for laying down and napping.

Eventually she would have to turn over and release him...right?

~8~

Marayna was growing a bit worried as Arthur led her though the castle. She had no idea what he could possibly need her help with, but she went nonetheless, not that she could really _not_ follow as he _still_ held her hand. It was because the halls were dark, they both reasoned, and it wouldn't do to have an injured servant. Honestly, the fact that it felt natural and nice to be linked by the hand to each other had nothing to do with it.

At all.

Really.

Marayna frowned as Arthur came to a stop before the first door at the hall that she and Merlin had just cleaned. At the end of the hall was where the first few knights were placed, not every room had been needed. This one, especially, was not to be slept in by anyone, king's orders, but it HAD had to be cleaned.

Arthur opened the door and tugged on Marayna's arm as she hesitated entering. She did so cautiously, afraid that whatever had assailed her before might happen again. But luckily it did not. Arthur pulled her into the room and dropped her hand when he turned to face her, "You said you know things sometimes?" she nodded, slowly realizing why he had brought her there, "Can you tell me anything about this room?"

She looked around, actually _feeling_ the devastation that had occurred there, before looking at Arthur and sighing, "Arthur," she shook her head, "I don't think I should be the one to tell you. Your father…"

"Refuses to even set a foot in this room," Arthur interrupted, "I know it was the room my mother resided in on bedrest, I know this was where I was born, and I…I know this is where she died. But, please, can you tell me anything?" his voice nearly cracked at the 'please,' but years of training had prepared him for controlling his emotions, "I barely know what she looked like, all I know is from a painting in father's rooms. He never speaks of her, Gaius won't tell me anything, and I just…" he sighed, "If you had the opportunity to learn something about someone you loved and lost before you could know them, wouldn't you take it?"

She looked down, she would do anything to learn about her father, who he was, the sort of man he was, what he did, anything at all. She couldn't take this from Arthur, but how could she tell him the whole story without speaking of where she learned it? Feelings, as Arthur assumed she could get, guesses, were one thing...an entire history lesson would be quite another.

She glanced up and took Arthur's hand in her own, "If I tell you, what I THINK happened here, will you promise not to repeat anything of what I've said?"

Arthur stared her straight in the eye, unable to look away. It was one of the few reasons he tried so vainly to never look at her dead on, he could never tear himself away from her eyes, they were mesmerizing. He nodded, "I swear."

"I _mean_ it Arthur. Not a word to Uther or Gaius, even Merlin and Morgana and Gwen."

He nodded again, "I swear."

She sighed and stepped back, pulling her hand away from him, though both were reluctant to let go, and hugged herself, "Before, when Merlin and I were to clean this room," she began, turning her back on him and walking around the room, "I couldn't go in here, it hurt too much."

"It hurt?" she heard him ask behind her, not following.

"I felt really sad. I felt like something terrible had happened in here and I couldn't bear it. After we finished, I went to…I went to Gaius and asked him," she glanced over her shoulder at him before returning her focus to the bed, "Merlin had gone to town with Gwen and I wanted to know why the room affected me," she took a breath, "He told me about what happened here, and made me _swear_ not to say a word to anyone, especially you."

"Why me?"

"It was your mother, Arthur," she turned to face him, "And what he told me…" she trailed off, shaking her head.

"Please," he nearly begged, "I need to know."

To be honest, he was a bit surprised that Gaius had told Marayna anything as he refused to do so when HE asked questions. But, he supposed, Uther had likely ordered that sort of thing. He didn't blame Marayna for wanting to know what happened, HE always got a sense of sorrow when he entered the room too.

She looked away, "The Queen couldn't have children and Camelot needed an heir. So…Uther turned to magic."

Arthur stared at her as though she had just told him she'd seen Uther dressed as a woman before letting out a barking laugh, "My father? Use _magic_? He'd die first."

"I'm sure he wished for it after," she whispered, instantly sobering him, "He asked a close friend of his, the sorceress Nimueh to help."

"Nimueh…" he trailed, where had he heard that name before? Then it hit him. It was the name he'd heard Gaius and his father speaking of once, after he'd gone to get the flower after she and Merlin had been poisoned, the one who tried to kill him. But, why would she help his father and later try to kill him? Why would his father turn to her to begin with?

Marayna nodded, "She was able to get the Queen to conceive, but, with magic, to create a life…another has to be taken."

Arthur paled considerably and sank down, not even noticing when Marayna's eyes flashed gold and the stool somehow moved under him to catch him. He was breathing heavily and shaking when Marayna knelt in front of him. She reached up and placed a hand on his cheek, "Arthur…" she murmured.

"My mother…" he swallowed hard, "_She_ took my mother's life for mine, didn't she?"

Marayna nodded, "Uther was furious, banished her, and began his campaign against magic," she hesitated when Arthur reached up and rested his hand on her wrist, he didn't seem to notice what he had done nor the fact that his thumb was gently stroking her wrist, "As far as he was concerned, it wasn't Nimueh who had taken Ygraine, it was magic."

Arthur nodded slowly, seeing how his father could think that. But also knew enough to see that the mistake of one person shouldn't condemn _everyone_. Had his mother been killed by a knight, he doubted that his father would have banished all knights and melted all swords. He grew a bit angry thinking on his father's reaction. He had massacred _thousands_ of people for one woman's crime?

He'd always thought that a large band of sorcerers had attacked Camelot and slaughtered the people, driving his father to protect them from every sorcerer. But hearing that his father was slaughtering people, who had done nothing wrong, just because _one_ of them had…it made him sick. To think, he'd participated in that. If anything, those who practiced _bad_ magic should be punished, but leave the good out of it!

"…to forgive me," he heard Marayna mutter as he looked up to see her looking down.

"For what?" he asked as she lowered her hand, though he wouldn't let go of it.

"I fear I cannot hate the magic that gave me you," she whispered, looking up at him, before she realized what she said, "I mean, that gave you to Camelot."

He simply smirked at that.

"Either way, without the magic, you wouldn't be here," she said finally, fighting the blush off her cheeks, "That alone is reason enough for me to not hate _all_ magic."

He nodded, "Nor I," he sighed, "I _do_ hate Nimueh though."

She chuckled at that and nodded in agreement, "As do I," she smiled, "No one tries to kill my brother but me."

He smiled as well, shaking his head, "When I am king, I will only punish those who deserve it."

"Like who?" she asked, genuinely curious as to how he _really_ felt about magic. She herself was most certainly going to add it to her list, those who used magic for _evil_ deserved to be punished.

"Those who use it to harm. Knights have a sword, and they're supposed to protect, but some…some use it to harm. Not all the knights are punished for that one knight's mistake, neither should the druids or any other magic user. Unless they use it to harm."

She smiled softly, looking at him with the pride he had often seen directed at her brother. He felt a swell in his chest at being the receiver of the praise, it felt…good, "You will be a great king one day."

He smiled down at her, squeezing her hand, because...for the first time, he felt like he would be.

A/N: I know, Arthur knows! O.O I can say that there IS a twist for the episode where he sees his mother's ghost, there are still quite a few shocking things for Arthur to learn about that fateful day to get a very big reaction out of him }:) But I wanted to introduce the idea to Arthur that magic was a tool earlier, it'll play a BIG part of later in the Prophecies and I think, it might actually be harder for him to hold onto this thought, given how many people seem determined to harm Camelot that have magic ;)

Also, quick note/announcement. A reader contacted me to ask if I'd be open to them creating a Facebook page for my stories and things. I'm cool with it and they decided to make one. So if anyone's interested here's the link:

(the facebook website)/pages/Lizzexx/576098545801884

Clipung ús - Call us  
Afeormian - Clean

Some notes on reviews...

Lol, all I can say for patience is I don't think Yoda quite got it with 'Do, or do not, there is no try' I know I try more for patience than actually succeeding lol :)

Thanks :) I try to post at least once a day around the same time :)

Marayna just know him yup ;)


	9. A Remedy to Cure All Ills

A Remedy to Cure All Ills

It was a beautiful morning as Gwen left her house and made the small journey to the castle to attend Morgana. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and she had managed to come up with a smoked pigeon sandwich for her father that was actually more pigeon than smoke! It was a good day and only got better for when she reached the main entrance, a guard stopped her, holding a rather large bouquet of white lilies.

She looked down at the flowers questioningly until the guard spoke, "They were left at the door for Lady Morgana."

Gwen smiled and nodded, taking the flowers and heading into the castle towards her Lady's room. She was about halfway there when she nearly ran into Merlin. She could have laughed at how similar they appeared, her holding the lilies and Merlin holding a small bundle of wildflowers. She could have laughed, but found it impossible as the flower petals would have ended up in her mouth. She quickly shifted the bouquet so that she could properly speak to her friend without fear of eating flower.

"Hello Merlin!" she chirped, finally managing to shift the flowers.

"Hey Gwen," he greeted, grinning down at her flowers before glancing at her, "It seems someone really _has_ given you flowers."

She rolled her eyes at his joke, recalling the last time he and Marayna had seen her with flowers, "They're not for me. They're for my Lady."

"Morgana?" Merlin asked, his grin quickly falling off his face as his entire countenance dimmed, "Well, yeah," he tried grinning again, tried laughing, but...couldn't seem to muster the emotion behind it, "Of course, someone_ would_ give Morgana flowers. And, uh, lilies," he looked down at them, reaching out to brush one of the petals before mumbling, "Expensive."

"Merlin…" Gwen began, frowning, as he removed his hand and took a few steps back.

"I, uh, I'd best be getting back to Arthur," he murmured quickly, turning to wander off down the hall. She watched him carefully as he left, squinting as he reached the end of the hall, but she could clearly see him cast his flowers to the side of the hall, leaving them.

It was then she realized...his flowers had been for Morgana.

~8~

Still frowning as she reached Morgana's room from the realization of who Merlin's flowers had been for, Gwen paused before taking a breath and smiling as she pushed the door open as best she could with her arms full, "Look what's just arrived for you," she called, placing the flowers on the table for Morgana to examine.

Morgana smiled as she reached out to tilt a flower towards her, inhaling its scent, "Who are they from?"

"I don't know…" she answered honestly, before smirking teasingly, "Maybe Arthur?"

He was probably the only one in the kingdom who could afford to buy lilies that large and that many. Though Gwen knew that her Lady and Arthur were _just_ friends, more like brother and sister than anything, she still found a bit of pleasure in teasing the noblewoman about what was probably half the kingdom's hope that she and Arthur would one day marry. Neither Morgana nor Arthur ever even considered such a fate, but it didn't stop the people from hoping.

"How disappointing," Morgana jested back, smiling sadly as she looked over the flowers.

"Why?" Gwen asked, an almost knowing look on her face, "Who would you like them to be from?"

"I don't know," Morgana shrugged, blushing just a bit, "A tall, dark, stranger?"

"A tall, dark, stranger...or a tall, dark, _servant_?" Gwen quipped, making Morgana blush more fiercely at that.

Gwen thought it best not to mention the flowers Merlin had been about to bring her. She did not want her Lady to think that Merlin had the chance to give her flowers but chose not to. She knew that would greatly sadden her Lady, even if the only reason Merlin hadn't given the flowers was because he felt that his weren't good enough, which Gwen knew he must have felt given his expression when he heard the rather expensive lilies had been for Morgana.

Smiling softly, she moved to gather the flowers once again and place them in a large vase.

~8~

The next morning was not as good as the day before, Gwen noted. The sun was hidden behind clouds, she'd had to give her father a simple meal of bread and cheese, and she'd been haunted by Merlin's deflated smile in her dreams. She'd seen him around the castle after meeting him that morning and he seemed rather disheartened by something, which she knew had to do with the flowers. She'd seen Marayna casting worried glances at her brother as well and talking to him quietly as she passed them.

She sighed, she decided she would either tell Morgana that Merlin wanted to give her flowers but was intimidated by the lilies or tell Merlin that Morgana wished it had been Merlin giving flowers (any kind of flowers) than someone else, whichever happened first. She quickly made her way up to her Lady's room, knocking softly before she entered.

She smiled as she saw her Lady still sleeping. Merlin had delivered the draught for Morgana last night and she had given it to her Lady. Often, Morgana would let her leave early, before she was truly ready for bed for some reason. But last night, she had asked Gwen to stay a bit longer. Once Morgana had taken the draught and fallen asleep, Gwen had left. She supposed Morgana must have had a nightmare last night and woken up, it would explain why she was still sleeping.

She pulled open the curtains by the window before moving over to the bedside, reaching out gently to shake her mistress, "My Lady," she called softly, "It is time to wake up," she let out a soft breath as Morgana continued to sleep, "My Lady," she tried again...but when the woman _still_ did not wake, Gwen began to grow concerned, "Morgana?" this time she was frantically shaking the woman, but she did not stir.

Fearing the worst, Gwen immediately fled the room and went to seek Gaius.

~8~

"Body seems to have closed down," Gaius mumbled to himself as he checked on his charge, the Lady Morgana, STILL sleeping in her rooms, for what must have been the hundredth time.

"Why?" Uther whispered as he observed his ward worriedly, "You don't have an answer do you?" Gaius said nothing, "Nothing you've tried so far has worked. It's been nearly_ two days_, and what do you know?!"

Gaius sighed, he knew quite a bit in fact. He knew that Gwen had flown into his chambers in tears, shouting that Morgana wouldn't wake up. She had been beside herself that day and, to make matters worse, so had Merlin. As soon as Gwen shouted that, Merlin had taken off to check on the woman, his sister following close behind. He'd run into the room to see Merlin, tears in his eyes, trying to shake the woman awake as well.

He knew that Marayna had taken the role of pillar of strength for her brother. She had gone to her brother's side, pulled him away and held him as the physician went to work. She had taken to doing a majority of her brother's chores so Merlin could spend as much time at Morgana's bedside as possible without drawing attention to the fact he was doing so. Truly the only time he wasn't there was when Arthur or Uther was there or he absolutely _had_ to do chores. Not that many people noticed that, HE did as he was often trying something new to help Morgana, he'd enter the room to see Merlin there again and again. Marayna, he knew, had also become a wall for Arthur to lean on too, even though he knew she desperately needed a shoulder as well but refused to tell anyone.

He knew that everyone was terrified of losing the young woman lying in bed. Arthur for his 'sister,' Gwen for her Lady, Marayna for her friend, Uther for his ward, him for his 'niece' (as he liked to think of her, having tended to her since she was a child), and Merlin for…well…he wasn't too sure. But he _did_ know the young woman was of immense importance to his nephew and that was why he was trying his best to help her.

"I fear she may have some form of inflammation of the brain," he concluded.

"What could cause such a thing?" Uther gasped in horror.

"An infection possibly," Gaius sighed, "Rest assured I will do everything in my power to cure her sire."

~8~

"Is she any better?" Gwen asked immediately as Gaius came down the stairs from Morgana's rooms. Merlin stopped beside her from where he had been pacing in the hall as Marayna stood beside him. He couldn't go to Morgana's room as Uther was there and he dared not incur the wrath of the king should he discover that a servant's affection for the Lady was far more than that of simple friendship.

He saw Gaius frown at him and examine him intently with a pointed gaze. He knew he must look a sight. He'd barely slept the last two days, spending his nights at Morgana's side, wide awake should anything happen to her. He didn't eat, having no such appetite for anything. He'd been neglecting his duties, which he hated himself for leaving his sister to maintain, but he couldn't help himself. This was _Morgana_…if anything happened to her...he...didn't know what he'd do.

Gaius turned his attention to Gwen, simply shaking his head and watching as the young woman rushed up the stairs. He took a step towards Merlin, steeling himself for what he was about to say, "She's all but dead."

Merlin filched and Marayna immediately took his hand in her own, "No," he shook his head, nearly begging, "You're gonna cure her. You _have_ to."

"Don't you start," Gaius pointed at him firmly, his heart breaking at the sight, "I've tried everything."

"Do you think…" Marayna spoke up, rubbing her brother's trembling back.

"What?" Gaius turned to look at her.

"Do you think...WE might be able to _help_…" she trailed, not looking at him, but focusing on her brother.

"If you are suggesting magic, have you forgotten what happened with Gwen's father?" he just_ had_ to bring that up didn't he? Both Merlin and Marayna flinched at the memory, "This is _not_ a magical illness, it must be cured by conventional means. We _keep_ trying. See if you can find me some fresh rosemary."

Merlin almost smiled at the old man's attempts at keeping him and his thoughts occupied.

"There's got to be something more we can do to hel..." Marayna began.

"And yarrow," Gaius cut her off before she could get any ideas.

~8~

Marayna stepped to the side of Arthur as he made his way out of Morgana's room. She and Merlin had just finished gathering rosemary and yarrow for Gaius and were going to see how Morgana fared. Merlin had barely spoken during their collections and she knew seeing Morgana would help him, even if just a little. Arthur stepped back for them to get through the door as he left. Merlin had immediately gone in and Marayna followed, though she paused at the doorway. She saw Gwen tending to Morgana as Merlin sat beside her and caught her eye. She glanced back at Arthur walking down the hall and back to Gwen. The girl simply nodded in understanding, taking a step to comfort Merlin as Marayna made her way towards Arthur.

"She'll be fine you know," she said softly, startling him with her appearance.

"How do you know?" he asked quietly, not trusting himself to speak louder.

Marayna smiled, "When has Gaius ever failed you?"

Arthur smiled in return at that and reached out to take her hand in his own, "Thank you," he squeezed her hand briefly before letting it fall.

Marayna could only nod as she walked with him towards the courtyard entrance. Just as they reached the doorway, a guard stopped them, "Sire, there is a man out there, requesting an audience with the king."

Marayna smirked as she saw Arthur roll his eyes and nod at the guard before walking outside. She started to a stop when she saw the man Arthur was walking up to, her smirk quickly falling off her face. She wasn't concerned at all with the burns and scars on the man's cheek, but his _eyes_. They were hard and cold, manipulating and calculating. Not to mention, she shivered. There was something cruel and wicked about that man, something..._wrong_. And she never questioned her feelings about people, especially not after the meeting with Kara/Nimueh proved her right.

"What's your business here?" she heard Arthur ask, snapping her out of her thoughts and getting her to walk after him.

"My name is Edwin Muirden and I have a remedy to cure all ills," the man answered, grinning slyly and bowing his head in respect to the prince.

"Is that so?" Arthur questioned, clearly uninterested in what the man had to say. He was probably another peasant trying to pass himself off as a physician or something to get a coin or two.

"I beg an audience with the king," Edwin requested, far too politely for Marayna's taste, he was nearly kissing Arthur's boots with that tone.

"We already HAVE a physician," she spoke, finally making her way to Arthur who had turned to walk away from the scarred man.

"I hear the Lady Morgana is gravely ill," he called after them and Marayna flinched, she could see the ploy he was using to try and grasp Arthur's ear. He was going to play on his concern for Morgana's wellbeing, tempt him with the promise of a full recovery for the woman. She just...she could feel there was something _more_ to him wanting to help an ill woman than he was letting on, she just...didn't know _what_.

"That is no concern of yours," Arthur nearly growled as he spun to face the man again, though from a distance away.

"I may be able to help her."

Marayna's eyes narrowed, "The court physician is already looking into it," she stated firmly, inwardly happy when Arthur nodded in agreement.

"I'll be at the inn," Edwin added one more time, "In case you change your mind," and with that, he turned to walk away, leaving two pairs of glaring eyes watching him.

"I don't like him," Marayna muttered, more to herself than anything, but Arthur heard everything anyway.

"Nor I," he confirmed.

Marayna glanced up to see Arthur staring at Edwin's retreating figure, a curious look on his face. She wondered if Arthur felt the same cold, almost prickling feeling she had felt from the man...or if it was something far worse, that he was perhaps_ considering_ the man's offer. She truly hoped it was the first, because Gaius WOULD find a way to help Morgana, she knew he would, he always did.

~8~

That night would find Merlin and Marayna sitting in Arthur's room. Morgana had still not wakened and Marayna could tell it was starting to worry Arthur, not that he hadn't been worried before, but now it was _far_ more noticeable. He was sitting in a chair, his hand over his eyes, hunched over. She was sure that her brother's pacing behind him wasn't helping either but she knew the only time he really sat still was when he was at Morgana's bedside, all other times he was far too worried to just sit around, especially since Gaius had forbidden them from using magic to help.

"It's going to be alright, it is," she heard Merlin muttering to himself, she could hear the fear in his voice and knew he was more trying to convince himself than reassure anyone else, "I know it is. She's going to be absolutely…"

"Merlin, you're making me anxious," Arthur spoke up, interrupting her brother's pacing.

"But I'm _not_ worried," Merlin insisted as he stopped behind Arthur's chair...all in the room knew he was lying though.

"Then stop pacing," Marayna called softly, getting up to give her brother a reassuring hug, ignoring the way Arthur was watching her, before leading him over to the small table to sit. She should have had him sit in another chair for as soon as he was sitting, he began tapping on the table top.

A moment later, she nearly laughed as Arthur got up to pace himself. She could see how tense he was by the set of his shoulders, the scowl on his face, and the clenching of his fists. She rubbed her brother's back, wishing there was something more she could do.

~8~

The next morning, Morgana's condition had worsened. Gaius was standing beside her, checking her symptoms while a worried Arthur and Uther stood behind him. Gwen had taken Merlin to collect some things for Gaius while Marayna flitted about the room, tidying and fixing things up if only to keep herself occupied.

"I cannot preserve her life for much longer," Gaius sadly informed Uther, "She has hours, maybe less."

"We cannot let her die!" Arthur shouted suddenly, angrier than she had ever heard him get, even at her brother.

Marayna couldn't help but speak, "Calm down Arthur, before you have a stroke."

Arthur nearly rounded on her...when the king sighed, "Arthur, please."

Frankly, Marayna was shocked the king had overlooked her words to Arthur as she had numerous slights against her in them. Not using his proper title, ordering him about, essentially talking back to him...yet the king had almost appeared to agree with her. Well, he was either incredibly tired or enormously worried, or both if he missed all that and actually_ agreed_ with a _servant_ that his son needed to calm down.

Arthur sighed, turning to glare at Marayna when something came to him, "There's a man, he came to the castle yesterday. He claims he can cure her."

Marayna's eyes widened in shock. No! That man _couldn't_ be let anywhere near Morgana! She just...she had a truly awful feeling about him and...and because she had no proof she could scarcely bring it up to them could she?

"That's ridiculous," Uther nearly laughed, "He doesn't know what's wrong with her."

"He says he has a remedy to cure _all_ills," Arthur insisted, looking over to Marayna for support, only to see that her attention had been drawn to the large vase of lilies sitting on the table beside her.

"Impossible," Gaius shook his head, nothing could cure everything.

"For Morgana's sake, surely we should at least hear him out," Arthur nearly begged, "I mean, what have we got to lose? Please father."

Marayna frowned as she eyed the lilies next to her. There was something off about the flowers, which was strange, because they were just flowers. Slowly, she reached out and brushed a finger along one of the petals. In an instant she saw the image of a beetle resting on that very petal in her mind's eye and quickly pulled her hand away as though she had been burned. It wasn't the image of the beetle that disturbed her, but the feeling she got from it…the same feeling she had when she'd met Edwin.

"He's probably some charlatan hoping for a quick shilling," she heard her uncle say, drawing her attention back to the conversation as she quickly put as much distance between the flowers and herself as possible.

"I don't care!" Arthur snapped, "If she's about to die what harm can it do? Give him a shilling. If there's one chance in a million that he can save her, then why not?"

Uther sighed, shaking his head and said the three words Marayna feared hearing, "Send for him."

~8~

Marayna followed Arthur out of the room as he went to send a messenger to Edwin, "Arthur, I really think this is a _bad_ idea."

Arthur sighed, "We've no other choice," he mumbled, "If he can save her…"

Marayna bit her lip as she considered what exactly she was about to say, "Don't you find it a bit odd though that this...Edwin person appears_ just_ as Morgana comes down with an illness not even _Gaius_ can cure?"

He turned to face her, "What are you saying?"

"Nothing, I just…" she trailed before taking a breath, "The guards said that Morgana received those lilies the day before she became ill."

"Yes, and?"

Oh dear lord, he wasn't following was he?

"What if _Edwin_ sent the flowers so that Morgana would become ill with something only HE, as the sender, could cure...that way _he_ could save her? You've got to admit, you're desperate enough to do anything to help. Maybe that's what he wants."

Arthur stared at her a moment before bursting out with laughter, "Oh Mara," he shook his head, "Flowers are a sign of affection, not impending death, surely even you know that."

She glared at him for a moment, "Actually, I _wouldn't_ know," she answered bitingly, "I've never gotten flowers from anyone, _my Lord_."

And with that, she spun around and stormed off down the hall, leaving a shocked Arthur.

~8~

Marayna stood beside her brother, who looked slightly dazed with worry and lack of sleep, as Gaius and Uther entered the main hall. That Edwin man was waiting there for them which did _not_ sit well with Marayna, but for once, she couldn't tell her brother of her suspicions. He was far too worn and torn about the situation with Morgana, and she didn't doubt that he would do anything to cure the woman, even if it meant supporting this Edwin man. She didn't want to take away Merlin's hope about the situation by telling him how badly she thought of the man. Perhaps she would wait till he tried to cure Morgana before going after him.

Edwin dropped into a kneel as the king strode up to him, "Edwin Muirden, sire. Physician and loyal servant."

"Welcome to Camelot," Uther greeted quickly, taking the scroll and unrolling it as Edwin moved to stand.

"Have we met before?" Gaius asked, tilting his head to examine the young man intently.

"I doubt you would forget a face like mine, sir," Edwin replied politely, gesturing to the burns marring his face.

"Do you really believe you have a remedy?" Uther turned to face him.

"There are not many ills that I have not seen and successfully treated, sire," Edwin spoke, seeming as though he were trying to sound modest, "So, when I heard of the Lady Morgana's sickness, I felt honor-bound to offer my services."

"You say you have a cure for all, an antidote for everything?" Gaius continued.

"Yes, although it is not quite as simple as that," Edwin spared only a glance at the older man.

"Gaius is the Court Physician," Uther introduced.

"You are indeed a legend sir, I am delighted to meet you," Edwin moved into a bow as Marayna narrowed her eyes. He was being a bit over the top with all this praise and respect and boot licking wasn't he? Not to get her wrong, she was thrilled her uncle was getting some sort of respect, but Edwin bowing to him so extravagantly and in the same manner that he had the king was overdoing it to her, "I am curious to know what it is that has afflicted her."

"An infection of the brain," Gaius answered matter-of-factly.

"And your treatment?"

"Yarrow."

"Yes, yes."

"Rosemary to stimulate cerebral circulation."

"Interesting," Edwin nodded, though...slower than before, as though considering the man's words.

"Why, what would you suggest?" Arthur interrupted, stepping up beside his father.

"No, no, no, that is all _fine_," Edwin turned to face the prince, "All good, if that _is_ the right diagnosis."

"What would _your_ diagnosis be?" Uther questioned, and both Marayna and Gaius knew the king now doubted the original illness.

"Well, without examining the patient…" Edwin trailed purposefully.

"He should examine her," Arthur cut in.

"I would need my equipment."

"Of course," Uther replied, nodding, "You have use of one of the guest chambers."

"Consider my servants at your disposal," Arthur added as Marayna and Merlin snapped their heads to face him, odd mixes of disbelief and reluctance on their faces.

"I will start work immediately," Edwin bowed again before striding out of the room. Arthur cast a meaningful look at his servants before they too left the room after Edwin.

~8~

Merlin was curiously looking at the various equipment set up on Edwin's table in the room he'd been given as Marayna made herself as busy as possible as _far away_ as possible from Edwin.

"Yes, it was all originally designed for alchemy," Edwin smiled, noticing Merlin's stares.

"Making gold?" Merlin inquired.

Edwin glanced up at him, "You have an interest in science?"

"'Science is knowledge,'" Marayna recited something Gaius always seemed to want them to believe every time there was some sort of magical disturbance that he felt could be fixed with the subject instead of magic. She moved closer to her brother (and unfortunately Edwin as well) as she had finished collecting the herbs Edwin requested from his supplies.

"It has the answers to everything."

"Maybe," Merlin murmured, a small smile growing on his face, "It can't explain love."

"So you are in love?" Edwin asked as Merlin looked up shocked, casting a look to his sister.

"He meant emotions in general, anger, sorrow, happiness," Marayna covered, smiling at her brother's confession. She knew he felt deeply for Morgana and had been counting down the days till he admitted just how strongly he felt for her. Now he just had to admit it to Morgana and everything would be perfect.

Though she had to admit, Merlin himself seemed shocked by his own words. It...DID make sense though. She hadn't admitted to herself that she might possibly care a little bit about Arthur till she'd seen him lying among the fallen knights when he'd faced the Griffin. Seeing him like that, fallen, vulnerable, and...hurt...it had made her reevaluate things. It was funny how seeing the ones you (might possibly) care about in danger made you face the things you'd rather not admit to yourself. Merlin, it seemed, was starting to be confronted by the fact that he might just love Morgana. Now that he was so close to losing her, to see her so helpless and lifeless and near death...he was being forced to think of his life without her, and it was not one he seemed keen to experience.

At least one good thing had come out of this mess, her brother was realizing his feelings for the woman. She knew they were both in the same boat, having certain feelings for nobles, nobles under the king's thumb who might one day be expected to marry other nobles. If the day ever came where Uther forced Morgana's hand and orchestrated for her to marry some knight or prince or something...well...life was too short, and her brother ought to enjoy the time he could have with Morgana and pray that he'd be able to have forever with her somehow.

Well...after they saved her life that is.

"You seem too bright to be just servants," Edwin commented.

"Oh well, don't be fooled, we're not that bright," Merlin recovered, just enough to make a quip.

It was then that Marayna heard a strange hissing noise coming from a box set before Merlin. She picked it up, carefully inspecting the inscription on the box when it was snatched away by Edwin, "Yes we will need that, now we must hurry to the Lady Morgana. Before it is too late."

Merlin and Marayna quickly gathered up the equipment and supplies that Edwin had listed earlier and carried it out of the room behind the man, following him until they entered Morgana's chambers where Uther, Arthur, and Gaius were waiting.

"Put my equipment over there," Edwin commanded before turning to speak quietly to the king, "Sire, I would be grateful if you could have everyone leave the room. I require peace and privacy."

"Certainly," Uther nodded before motioning for everyone to leave. Arthur and Uther made their way out, but Marayna and Merlin paused by the door, waiting for Gaius.

"That includes you, Gaius," Edwin added, seeing the old man still standing there.

"But I am _eager_ to learn from your methods," he spoke though both Merlin and Marayna noticed his tone was not one of eager learning but of vague suspicion, something Edwin seemed to notice as well.

"Now is not the time for giving instruction. I will need all my concentration."

Gaius opened his mouth to speak when Uther called to him from the doorway, "Gaius."

Reluctantly, Gaius turned and walked out of the room with Merlin and Marayna, none of them feeling at ease with leaving the man in the room alone with her.

~8~

'_Do you think he'll do it?_' Merlin asked Marayna in his mind as they followed the trail of people down the stairs to the small foyer they had spoken to Gaius in the day before.

'_Do what?_' she replied.

'_Cure her._'

Even in her mind, she could hear the hope in his words. She shrugged, '_I don't know. But __if he does…what does that mean?_'

'_What do you mean?_' Merlin glanced at her, he heard her about to speak when Edwin suddenly ran down the stairs.

"Great news your majesty," Edwin cheered, "You will be glad to hear it is _not_ an inflammation of the brain."

"What is it then?" Uther demanded.

"It Is a cerebral hemorrhage."

'_He's lying,_' Merlin heard in his mind. He glanced over to see his sister glaring at Edwin. He'd learned his lesson after the Kara/Nimueh incident and completely believed her, turning to glare subtly at Edwin as well. He didn't need the whole story of her suspicions, he didn't need to know what other feelings she may have gotten off the man. All he needed to know...was that she didn't trust him.

Gaius's arms dropped to his side in shock, "Hemorrhage? I _don't_ think so."

"I found this trace of blood in her ear," Edwin sighed sadly, holding up a small cloth with a red streak on it.

"God in heaven!" Uther exclaimed, both he and Arthur looking shocked.

"The severity depends upon the site and volume of the bleed," Edwin explained, feigning solemnity, "If not treated, it can lead to coma and eventually death."

"How could you have _missed_ this?!" Uther demanded, spinning to face Gaius.

"I didn't see any blood," Gaius replied simply and firmly.

"Please, just thank the fates that you did not administer more rosemary to _stimulate_ the circulation," Edwin remarked, before facing the physician and barely masking a smirk, "Can you imagine what _that_ might have done?"

Gaius frowned, glancing at the king to see him waiting for an answer, "It may have increased the bleed."

"Is there a cure?" Uther asked Edwin, turning his back on his old friend.

"See for yourself," Edwin smiled, motioning for the stairs.

~8~

Uther stormed into Morgana's chambers, followed closely by his son, the servants, Gaius, and Edwin, only to see Morgana wide awake and sitting up in bed, smiling at them.

As soon as the door opened, Morgana's attention set upon none other than Merlin, who, upon seeing her alive was about to run to her side, when a firm grasp on his arm held him in place. He looked down to see his sister holding him back, '_Uther would behead you,_' she reminded him sadly, '_Happy for her recovery or not._'

Merlin frowned, but nodded, the king certainly _would_ kill him if he even suspected there was anything more than a servant's affection for a noble between them.

"It's truly a miracle," Uther cried as her rushed to Morgana and kissed her forehead, "I thought…I really thought…"

"Oh you won't get rid of me that easily," Morgana murmured weakly, but that was to be expected. She moved on the bed, putting on the airs of shifting for comfort, but Marayna could tell she was really just trying in vain to see behind the king and glimpse Merlin once more.

"What exactly did he give you?" Gaius inquired, stepping up beside the king, completely blocking Morgana's entire view.

She sighed, leaning back resignedly, "I have no idea, but thank heaven he did."

Marayna smiled at her brother's grin and relief, but frowned when she noticed Edwin standing by the bed with a sort of pleased smirk on his face. It wasn't the kind of pleasure one received from doing a good deed and saving someone, but rather that of a man whose plans had gone perfectly.

Arthur motioned for them to leave the room and so they did, reluctantly, but decided they could at least tell Gwen the good news.

~8~

Merlin and Marayna quickly made their way through the castle later that day, to Edwin's rooms. They knocked on the door, "Edwin?" Merlin called. But they heard not a sound. They pushed open the door and made their way in.

Immediately Marayna went about looking at the various instruments and supplies the scarred man had out with a purpose she couldn't really explain. She knew there was something there, there HAD to be, regarding Morgana's illness...but she didn't know what.

'_What are you doing Aya?_' Merlin questioned her in her mind.

'_I don't trust him_,' she answered, '_He's hiding something and I think we'll find it here_.'

Merlin watched his sister for a moment before shrugging and glancing at the objects on the table. His gaze landed on the old wooden box that Edwin had snatched away from Marayna earlier that day and opened it.

Marayna glanced up to see her brother staring curiously at an opened box and walked around the table to his side to look as well, '_Dead bugs?_' she frowned at him, she couldn't even say what sort they were, it looked like just a bunch of black shiny things.

Merlin looked down at her only to see her staring at the box, confused as well. He shut the lid and fingered the inscription, "_Bebiede thay arisan ealdu_," he mumbled, reading it, his eyes flashing with magic. Immediately the hissing noise Marayna had first heard returned. He opened the box again to reveal the bugs now alive and crawling around, making themselves more distinguishable.

'_Beetles,_' Merlin confirmed as he stared at the bugs.

Marayna's eyes widened as realization struck her, '_Oh my God, Merlin he…_'

"Very good," a voice said behind them, startling them. They spun around to see Edwin standing there, watching them. He took a few steps towards them and reached out, taking the box from Merlin's hand. He shut the lid before whispering, "_Swefn,_" and opening it again to reveal the insects dead once more. He set the box on the table and turned to face Merlin, "You have magic."

"It wasn't me," Merlin countered quickly, automatically, "I didn't do anything!"

Marayna's frown just deepened...because Edwin had just revealed that HE possessed magic as well. And if he could make the beetles die...then he could bring them to life as well, confirming her suspicions.

"Then how else did you bring them to life?" Edwin smirked, already knowing the answer, "Only magic can do such a thing," he gently stroked the top of the box, "These little angels are how I cured Lady Morgana. They repaired the damage to her brain they saved her life. Magic _can_ be a force for good."

Marayna glared, repaired the damage? More like_ caused_ the damage, she thought. She was sure of it! She'd seen a flash of the beetle, those very beetles, on the flowers in Morgana's rooms! BEFORE Edwin had even set foot in the castle! The beetles had already been there and she was willing to bet her life that Edwin had sent one into her brain to hurt her, and then extracted it to 'cure' her.

"I know," Merlin's voice reached her.

"Then why do you fear it?" Edwin tilted his head to the side and stared at Merlin, making him all sorts of uncomfortable.

"Do you _know_ who the king is?" Marayna scoffed, "This is Camelot, magic will get you killed."

"Should I have let Morgana die?"

"No!" Merlin nearly shouted and Edwin's calculating gaze landed back on him as he smiled, so Merlin _was _in love with someone. And the Lady Morgana apparently. Ooh...this might play right into his hands

"People like us we have a gift," Edwin continued, staring at Merlin, "Do you not think it should be used to make this a better world?"

"...perhaps," Merlin answered hesitatingly before he and Marayna made a move to clean the spilled powder that they had knocked over when Edwin startled them. Anything so they wouldn't have to look at him.

"Don't waste your time cleaning that up," he stated, before muttering a spell, "_Feormian dust rénian_," and the powder floated up and returned itself to the bottle it came from, "Why waste a talent like that? And _I_ can teach you."

"_Rǽdee ásce geotan,_" Marayna murmured, proving to Edwin that they needed_ no_ training as the bottle rose and poured the powder into a bowl.

"I see you have magic as well," Edwin muttered, stroking his chin in thought. He wondered what the_ prince_ would think if he knew of the girl's magic. He could see, just by the way Arthur and she interacted that they both had a deep connection to the other. He had seen how they stood just a little too close than was proper for servant and master, the gentle touches they bestowed upon each other in comfort, the way they bantered along as though old friends. This could be a rather interesting bit of information to possess, "What do you use this for?"

"Gaius doesn't allow us to," Merlin answered this time.

"A gift like yours should be nurtured, practiced, enjoyed," he tried to bait them, "You need someone to _help_ you, to _encourage _you."

"We get enough of that from each other," Marayna replied, her tone making it quite clear to the scarred man that she had _no_ interest in whatever it was he was saying.

In fact, he was a bit puzzled by why she was glaring at him so fervently, "Imagine what we could achieve if we shared our knowledge..."

"We should be getting back," Merlin shook his head, taking his sister's hand and pulling her towards the door, he could tell she was getting very angry about something.

"Of course," Edwin nodded, stepping back, "You must promise to keep our secret safe."

"Of course," Marayna mimicked with a sneer as Merlin opened the door.

"People like you and I, we must look after each other," was all they heard as they shut the door behind them.

'_What's the matter Aya?_' Merlin asked her as she nearly stomped down the hall, trying to get as far away from Edwin as quickly as possible.

'_HE did it!'_ she half-shouted at him, making him wince at the volume of her cries in his head, '_HE made Morgana ill!_'

'_He saved her,_' Merlin replied, frowning in confusion, '_He cured her._'

She shook her head furiously, '_No, he only reversed whatever it was he did to her with the flowers._'

'_What do the flowers have to do with this?_'

She sighed, '_When I was in Morgana's room the other day, I touched the flowers, the lilies, and saw a BEETLE crawling on its petal. The SAME beetles that Edwin has!_'

'_Maybe one of his beetles got loose?_' he tried to guess, not wanting what his sister was saying to be true, no matter how much he knew it was.

'_It was before Edwin even entered the castle. __Think about it Merlin, she gets ill the same day the flowers arrive, I see a beetle on the flowers, Edwin has a box full of beetles! HE brought the box of beetles with him into Morgana's room, I don't think it was to heal her, I think it was to collect the one that he released on her. Don't you see Merlin? He used a beetle to make her ill, JUST so he could have the credit of curing her._'

'_But why?_' he asked, starting to get angry at the thought of someone not only using magic that way, but using _Morgana_ that way. If Uther or Arthur had refused to allow Edwin into the castle, she could have DIED!

'_I don't know,_' she murmured sadly. She really had no idea why Edwin would go through all the trouble of harming Morgana, just to cure her again. For credit yes, but...what would he do with it?

~8~

That night Merlin quietly snuck through the castle, careful to avoid the guards until he finally reached the room he sought. He raised his hand to knock quietly when a voice called softly from within, "Come in Merlin."

He did as commanded and slipped into the darkened room to see the pale form of Morgana sitting awake in the moonlight. She smiled at him as he took his place at her bedside, sitting gently on the edge of her bed.

"How are you feeling, my Lady?" she gave him a look and he winced before grinning, "I mean, how are you feeling _Morgana_?"

She laughed softly, "I feel fine, perfectly well," Merlin could detect a hint of a blush on her cheeks from her next words, "Better now that you're here."

Merlin would not deny that he blushed at that as well.

"I'm glad you're ok," he murmured, reaching out and taking her hand in his, squeezing it as though reassuring himself that she was really awake and well and alive. She returned the squeeze as though to do the same, "I was…"

He trailed off, looking away and Morgana could see a distinct blush on his cheeks, "You were…"

He sighed, looking at her and she nearly gasped at the small sparkle of tears she could see in the corner of his eyes, "I was so scared," he whispered, "I thought I'd lost you, or I'd lose you, or…"

"But you didn't," she whispered back, lifting her other hand to touch his cheek, "As I told Uther, you'll not be getting rid of me that easily."

He smiled at that before reaching up and taking her hand from his face, holding it though, "Morgana…I…" he took a breath, "I…that is to say, I…" he shut his eyes, "I care about you. _So much_"

He peeked open his eyes to see her smiling at him, "I care about you too," she breathed.

"I don't know what I would have done if…" he trailed off, unable to give actual thought to that.

And so Morgana reached out, gathering Merlin in hers arms and holding him tightly. That night, it would be Morgana holding him as he had fitful dreams.

~8~

"Have you been up all night?" Marayna asked her uncle as she left hers and her brother's room. Merlin had not been there when she'd woken and, knowing her brother, was not likely to have woke before her. She could only assume he was still where she suspected he would be, with Morgana. Luckily she had woken at dawn, just slightly earlier than the other servants and could probably get to him before someone else walked in on them. She doubted Uther or Arthur would wait long after waking to check on her and make sure there was no relapse. Though, as she thought about it, it _would_ cause quite a scandal and she would be able to tease her brother mercilessly for the rest of his life...but then she realized, if he was caught, his life would probably be over fairly quickly as Uther would murder him on the spot.

"Yes," her uncle sighed, rubbing his face, "But it was worth it. Where are you going?" he asked, looking up to see her putting a bag around her shoulder.

"Um, Merlin told Edwin we'd be up at dawn to collect some supplies," she answered, clearly uncomfortable with the entire situation. While she knew her brother only agreed because Arthur had been standing right there when Edwin asked, she didn't have to like it.

"Well, you better get a move on then," Gaius frowned, watching as she left the room, too tired from his all-night research to realize that Merlin wasn't with her and therefore...hadn't returned last night either.

~8~

"…sacrifice the king to save Merlin and Marayna?" a voice reached them. Both Merlin and Marayna paused just outside Edwin's door upon hearing their uncle's voice carry out to them. They glanced at each other and frowned, it was clear that Edwin had just threatened their uncle with something.

"Think about it, Gaius," they heard Edwin say, the subtle threat was not lost on them, "But if I find out that you have told any person, including the children, I will go straight to Uther!"

Sensing it was getting out of hand, Merlin quickly opened the door and walked into the room, glancing at the two men before him as though he hadn't been standing outside the door and knew they were there. Marayna inwardly smirked, she was rubbing off on her brother.

"We've got your provisions," Merlin turned, helping Marayna pull the bag she'd taken with her off her. It was quite full and a bit heavy. They had both gone to the fields after Marayna had woken him in Morgana's chambers, rushed to get the herbs and roots all gathered so they could get back quickly, neither of them trusting Edwin any longer and not wanting to leave him alone in Camelot longer than was necessary.

"Ah, thank you," Edwin smiled, glancing at Gaius, "Gaius was just reminiscing about old times, weren't you, Gaius?"

"Yes," Gaius answered tensely after a moment.

"Now I must get back to work," Edwin smirked, his eyes following the old physician as he left the room with the servants, shutting the door behind him.

"We'd better get on with our errands," Merlin stated after a moment of silence in the hall.

"Yes, of course you must," Gaius mumbled distractedly.

"Do you need us to pick up anything for you uncle?" Marayna asked, concern in her voice as she laid a hand on her uncle's arm.

"No, I'm fine," Gaius replied, trying to smile and laying a gentle hand on hers, "Just...do what Edwin asks," his smile fell as his niece and nephew walked off down the hall, unaware that following any instructions Edwin gave was the LAST thing on their minds.

~8~

'_Something's really bothering him,_' Merlin heard in his mind as he and his sister peeked around their door to observe their uncle sleeping, or at least attempting to, on his cot. They had heard him leave and were tempted to follow, but decided to wait. When he came back he seemed even more troubled than before and simply laid down on his cot and rolled over.

'_I wish he would talk to us,_' Merlin replied, '_Do you have any idea what it could be?_'

Marayna was always far more intuitive and adept at reading people than he was, but she frowned and shook her head, '_All I know is it has to have something to do with Edwin_.'

Merlin frowned, thinking on the threat they still didn't know the exact details of from Edwin to their uncle, '_I hope everything turns out alright._'

Marayna nodded in agreement before shutting the door, the two of them trying in vain to fall asleep once again.

~8~

But, as seemed to be the case in their lives, it _didn't_ turn out alright.

The next day Marayna had been returning from collecting some more herbs for Edwin when Arthur had approached her, grabbed her arm lightly, and pulled her off to the side to tell her of his father's decision regarding Gaius's position as court physician.

As soon as the words that Gaius was being replaced by Edwin left his mouth Marayna shot down the halls, the bag of herbs lying forgotten at Arthur's feet. The prince didn't say anything as he watched her run, nothing about her not being excused to leave, nothing on the lump at his feet. He only watched her hiking up the skirt of her dress and bolting past the servants, concern in his eyes for the young woman.

At the very same moment Arthur reached Marayna, in another part of the castle, Merlin stood in Arthur's chambers, folding some of the prince's clean clothing to put away...when the door burst open. He was about to turn and give some witty remark to who he assumed to be Arthur, when he felt a warm body collide with his. He looked down to see a frantic Morgana, nearly crying in his arms.

Once he'd been able to calm her down, she was able to tell him about what Uther had done this time. Merlin, being the gentleman that he was, walked Morgana back to her chambers, left her in the care of Gwen, with a few reassuring words and then, as soon as the door was shut, took off down the halls in search of his uncle.

Arthur would say nothing to his two servants later about their lack of completing their chores.

~8~

"Gaius!" Merlin shouted as he and Marayna ran into the physician's chambers, having both arrived at the door at the same time and knowing the other had found out about how the man had essentially been 'fired.'

"Uther can't do this to you!" Marayna agreed.

"You tried to _save_ Morgana."

"Uther is not to blame," Gaius sighed and they all knew who _was_.

"Come on Merlin, let's go have a little _chat_ with Edwin," Marayna decided, clearly hating the man but willing to do whatever it took to keep her uncle around, "Wouldn't two physicians be better than one?"

"No, you mustn't do anything," Gaius insisted, turning to face them.

"We can't stand by and do nothing!" Merlin threw his arms up in the air.

Gaius almost smiled at that, Merlin was never one to sit by as much as his sister was never one to keep quiet, "Uther is right. It's time I stepped down."

"What're you doing with that bag?" Marayna frowned, just now noticing the bag with Gaius's belongings sitting on the table.

"I cannot stay when there is no longer a use for me," Gaius commented, placing another item in the bag.

"You're _not_ leaving," Merlin shook his head, reaching out to take his sister's hand for strength and support.

"I believe it's for the best."

"Well you're not leaving without_ us_," Marayna insisted, about to move and get a bag for her brother and herself when Gaius sighed.

"Merlin, Rayna, you are like a son and daughter to me," he smiled gently at them, "I never expected such a blessing so late in life..."

"And you are more than a father to us," Merlin confirmed, tears in his eyes that he knew were in his sister's as well.

"Then as a father, I must tell you...you _must_ remain here," he reached out, placing a hand on each of their shoulders and squeezing them, "Camelot is where you belong."

"It's where YOU belong too uncle," Marayna insisted.

"Not anymore," he sighed, staring meaningfully at the two, "You must promise me you will not waste your gifts."

"Our gifts mean nothing without you to guide us," Merlin whispered brokenly, both he and Marayna gripping each other's hand so tightly their knuckles were turning white.

"You have a great destiny," Gaius nodded, smiling fondly at them, "If I have had but a small part to play in that...then I'm pleased."

"We've only just started learning though," Marayna sniffled.

"We need _you_ to teach us," Merlin nodded.

"I'm afraid I am leaving here tonight," Gaius said with finality, "And there is nothing you can do or say that can persuade me otherwise."

"We'll see about that," Marayna scoffed before she and Merlin ran out of the room.

~8~

They managed to find Arthur in the training arena nearly hacking a poor wooden dummy to pieces before moving onto the next one and practicing where to land blows without actually doing so.

"I can't understand why Uther would sack him over _one_ mistake," Merlin called as they came to a stop behind Arthur.

"A mistake that nearly killed Morgana," Arthur commented, not at all startled by their appearance, he had been expecting them for a while now, he was actually more surprised it had taken them this long to seek him out and plead with him this very case, "Besides that wasn't the only one."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Marayna nearly snapped.

Arthur glanced at her over his shoulder, "Edwin's said his work was riddled with errors."

"And you believed that load of rubbish?" she shook her head at Arthur, her eyes narrowing at the mention of Edwin's name.

Were she and Merlin the _only ones_ who could see what was happening? They had realized on their run to the arena, just _why_ Edwin had saved Morgana after making her ill. If he could cure an illness that Gaius could not, it would earn him a high spot with Uther, enough to manipulate the king and undermine Gaius. What they didn't understand was why Edwin was so set on obtaining Gaius's position as physician, for that was clearly the intention all along. Why not work together? Or wait a number of years for Gaius to retire?

"No one wants Gaius to go," Arthur sighed as he turned and stuck his sword into the ground, "My father's made his decision. There's nothing anyone can do."

With that he began to walk off when Marayna's voice made him pause, "There's nothing anyone _can_ do?" she asked, "Or there's nothing anyone _will_ do?"

He flinched internally at her hidden meaning. She knew as well as he that his power as prince would be enough to keep Gaius in the kingdom, enough to keep him as physician even if in only a secondary or supervisory position. But they both also knew that Arthur could not go against his father, not again, especially so soon after he'd stuck out his neck for Lancelot.

He walked off, though the guilt collecting in his stomach was enough to make him walk a bit slower.

~8~

Merlin and Marayna were glumly finishing some of the last of their chores in the foyer later that night, just carrying some fresh cloth down to Arthur's chambers, neither too keen to deal with the prince. Gaius had left, despite their protests and even Morgana's. They'd later learned from Gwen that the noblewoman had tried to stop him in the market, but the old man had left anyway. They knew the only one Gaius probably would have stayed for was Arthur, a direct order from the prince, but one never came.

Suddenly, the object of their thoughts appeared skidding around the corner.

"Merlin, Mara!" he shouted, out of breath and with terror in his voice, "My father has Morgana's illness. We must find Edwin!"

Marayna and Merlin immediately dropped the cloth and took off in one direction as Arthur went in another. Despite being peeved with the man, they pushed it aside as the last piece of the puzzle fell into place. Edwin had done whatever he'd done with the beetles to Morgana, to Uther himself. _Now_ it made sense. He wanted Gaius gone so that _he_ could get to Uther and kill him. Gaius must have known Edwin and what he was planning, so he had to get rid of him! And the only way for Edwin to make Gaius leave Uther to his mercy and flee Camelot was by threatening to tell the king about THEIR magic!

They were running down a hall when a sudden tingle ran down their spine, one they recognized as magic. They could always tell when someone was using magic, it was like...an extra sense they had developed, like their own magic was reacting to another's in the area. They ran in that direction and burst into a room only to see Edwin holding out his hand, trapping _Gaius_ in a circle of flames!

"What the hell are you doing?!" Marayna screamed, taking a step closer to the flames only for them to ignite higher, forcing her to fall back onto the floor.

"He was trying to kill the king," Gaius called to them from his position pressed against a column, "I couldn't let him."

"I can rule the kingdom now," Edwin smirked, glancing over at the two siblings, "And with you two at my side we could be all powerful."

"Release him," Merlin ordered, a deadliness in his voice that not even Marayna had heard before.

"It's your loss," Edwin replied, almost regretfully before reaching out another hand, "_Swilte Merlin!_" he cried, sending an axe magically flying off the wall and towards the young warlock.

"Merlin!" Marayna shouted as Merlin leaned back, focused on the blade of the axe, his eyes flashing gold. It stopped in the air, within an inch of his face, before hurtling back across the room...and into the shocked Edwin.

As soon as the scarred man's body fell to the floor, the fires died down and Marayna was at Gaius's side in an instant, "Are you alright uncle?" she quickly checked him for burns.

"Yes, thank you," he smiled fondly at her, before noticing Merlin rummaging through Edwin's possessions, "Merlin, what are you doing?"

"Uther's ill, with the same thing Morgana had," he answered, picking up the box of beetles and holding it up for Gaius to see.

Marayna nodded, catching onto her brother's train of thought, "Edwin told us these were what he used to help Morgana, if he could do it, there's a chance WE can as well."

"Elanthia Beetles," Gaius's eyes widened as he looked more closely at them.

"They're magical?" Merlin guessed, just wanting to confirm it.

"Yes," Gaius nodded, a realization hitting him and answering all the unanswered questions stirring around in Merlin and Marayna's brains, "I think they've been enchanted to enter the brain, feed on us, until they've devoured the person's very soul," he looked up, alarmed, "We must go to him."

Gaius quickly strode out of the room, followed by Merlin and Marayna and made his way to the king's chambers. No one was there, leaving them to assume Arthur was still trying to find Edwin and that the guards had been assigned the same mission.

"How do we get the beetle out before it kills him?" Merlin stared down at the king as Gaius stood from inspecting him.

"It can only be magic," Gaius answered solemnly.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, you can't be asking us to use MAGIC on _Uther_," Marayna's eyes widened in shock, "He'll kill us the moment he wakes up!"

It would be ironic though, save the king's life and then be executed for saving the king's life.

What a way to go.

"We don't have a choice," Gaius shook his head.

"Uncle!" Marayna nearly stomped her foot at him, this was just like the Griffin all over!

"There _are_ times when it is necessary," he glanced at Merlin giving into the boy's arguments just a bit before looking at the both of them, "It is your right."

"We don't know how," Merlin said quietly, Marayna nodded as well, calming only slighty as...it seemed their uncle might be admitting and agreeing to letting them use magic more often now.

"If you don't he's going to die. I have faith in you both."

Merlin sighed before making his way to Uther's side, staring down at the man. Marayna sat on his other side, about to let her brother do his thing...when a strange feeling overcame her, '_Do you feel that?_' she asked him quietly.

Merlin nodded, a sort of contemplative expression on his face, '_What is it?_'

'_It feels like what I felt when my magic summoned the unicorn._'

'_So what do I do?_' he set down the box and moved to sit on the edge of the bed.

'_Let the magic guide you_,' she answered, reaching out to take his hand without either of them aware that they had done so, '_I think it wants us to do this together._'

He smiled softly, nodding slightly before allowing his eyes to drift shut and reached out to cup Uther's left ear as his sister did the same to his right. Gaius watched them carefully, frowning as their eyes had gone a bit dazed before shutting, almost as though they had fallen into some sort of trance. He saw a faint flash of gold in their eyes before they shut and knew...the magic was guiding them.

"_Bebiede thay arisan ealdum, áblinnan,_" they whispered in unison, their brows furrowing in concentration.

After a moment Gaius was becoming worried, "What's happening?" he whispered to them.

A second later they opened their eyes, blinking away their dazedness, and Merlin stood up, turning to the old man. He held out his hand to reveal a dead beetle lying there. Marayna smiled and stood to join her brother at his side.

"Has anyone ever told you," Gaius began, staring in shock at the beetle, "You're geniuses?"

"_You_ certainly haven't," Merlin answered, smiling at their achievement.

"_I_ have," Marayna smirked, sending them in to a round of laughter that Gaius quickly hushed before rushing them out of the room as their laughter started to wake the king.

~8~

Uther had made a quick recovery of his illness, which Morgana was immensely happy for, though that was _not_ why she was standing in her chambers smiling. In fact, Morgana smiled from the sight of the small bouquet of wild flowers sitting in a vase on a table in her room. She leaned forward and inhaled their sweet scent, letting her eyes drift closed in fondness.

"Another gift from a tall, dark, stranger?" Gwen teased as she entered the room, seeing her Lady tending to the flowers.

Morgana blushed, "No...a gift from a tall, dark servant."

Gwen smiled wider, seeing her Lady so taken with the flowers, far more so than she had been with the lilies.

~8~

Marayna was smiling as well as she walked beside her uncle, her arm looped in his as Merlin walked on his other side. After the king had recovered, he had named Gaius a free man of Camelot and reinstated him to court physician.

"But this is all ridiculous," Gaius complained for what seemed like the hundredth time, "_I_ didn't save Uther, _you_ did."

"No, no, for once, we're happy someone else is to take the credit," Merlin laughed, sharing a secret smile with his sister, technically it was the second time they were happy for another to take the credit.

"You were willing to die to try and save him," Marayna agreed.

"Where'd you get that from?" Gaius stopped to eye them.

"We thought…" Merlin trailed, confused.

"No, I didn't do anything," Gaius insisted, smiling, "_You_ saved me and you saved Uther. Maybe you _are_ geniuses."

"Oh you think so?" Marayna smiled at their uncle.

"Well, _almost_."

"Let me guess," Merlin cut in with a roll of his eyes, "One day?"

Gaius just laughed which led them to laugh as well. The sun began to set and so they all made their way back to the physician's chambers. Gaius immediately handed Merlin a draught for Morgana, not even having to ask the young man to deliver it anymore as it had seemed to become a nightly routine for the boy, before retiring to his cot as it had been a very trying day.

Marayna smiled as she too made her way to hers and her brother's room to sleep. However, the smile dropped into a confused frown as she saw something lying on her pillow. She stepped closer, cautiously reaching out to lift the small bundle of light blue delphiniums. She eyed them, tilting them this way and that in her hands, far to suspicious of the flowers after the debacle with Morgana's lilies. But then a small scrap of parchment fell from the bundle. She placed them back down on her pillow and unrolled the paper as she sat on the edge of her cot. Smiling softly as she read the single line scrawled there.

_To prove not all flowers are in hopes of impending death._

She had to laugh at the failed attempt at romanticism and humor when she realized who the flowers were from, but...tenderly reached out to pick up the small bundle and place them in little jug of water.

She'd have to remember to thank Arthur the next day for the flowers and, with her luck, tease him for jinxing her.

A/N: Aww little bit of cuteness in here ;) Bit of a step up for Merlin and Morgana, but I can say the next chapter will have more details of Marayna's past and her time with her aunt...and a bit of jealous Arthur too ;)

Some notes on reviews...

I actually do have a Quotev account (link on my profile) but it was created under less than pleasant circumstances. A user on it (Ashe at the time) had been posting my Doctor Who stories and claiming to be my cousin, they were _not_, while also posting the chapters as though they were writing them and answering questions as though they were the author. I reported the user and tried to contact as many of the readers as I could. I only post the first chapter of stories on that site with links to FF as I'd like to keep all my stories in just one place (on this site). Mostly because (as can be seen by my Quotev) I don't have much time to update, I barely manage to get this site updated to have to add more chapters on numerous other sites would be hard to maintain. I can't even remember the last time I updated Quotev I have such little time to do it :(

Yup, in the show Morgana was the 'daughter' of Gorlois, but I wanted to stick with the Ygraine/Gorlois history of legend. There IS a twist for Morgana's parentage coming though to explain this small change and who her mother might be ;) As Gaius says he's been treating Morgana since she was a little girl a few times and since they don't say (I don't think) in the show how young/old Morgana was when Gorlois died she could have been only 3 or 4 or so when it happened and was taken in by Uther then, so it can be implied that Morgana used to help her father with his armor when she was a child :) The writers of the show mentioned that Katie McGrath was the oldest of the main actors and that it would be_ very_ important in the show, which I interpreted to mean (not sure if they said it on the show) that Morgana is _older_ than Arthur. If that's so, it can be part of her claim to the throne (the only reason she needs Arthur dead is because he's the recognized heir (not an illegitimate child)), so Uther had to have slept with Vivienne before Igraine died, not after. There's oodles of ways to spin Morgana's heritage ;) As for Morgana thinking Gorlois is her father, if she's older than Arthur (which I think she is) then it's possible she did have a few years with Gorlois before he died ;) But there WILL be a detailed explanation of how Morgana exists and her parentage in a later chapter no worries ;)

I'm glad you're enjoying the Marayna/Arthur :) I loved Gwen too, but I felt so bad for Lancelot that I'm more leaning towards that pairing ;)


	10. Richard

Richard

The servants were in a frenzy as yet _another_ noble was to arrive at Camelot for a treaty. However, this would prove to be a far less stressful visit, Camelot had not been at war with East Anglia. Far from it actually, they had been allies since their founding. This visit was simply for purposes of renewing their pledges of peace and alliance. Not many armed guards and knights would be accompanying their king as no one expected anything to turn violent, unlike with Mercia where war and hate had been common.

Merlin and Marayna were currently preparing the rooms for the visiting king and his son, the prince. Apparently Uther believed that servants of a prince would know best how to situate a room for another prince. It seemed he didn't know Merlin or his sister at all and, more importantly, he had never seen (or at least noticed) the state of Arthur's room.

Somehow, they managed to get the room set up quite nicely, they thought, and were just finishing when the trumpets sounded across the courtyards to announce the arrival of the king and prince. The siblings ran to the window to see Uther, Arthur, and Morgana waiting on the steps as two men in green strode up to them. Marayna rolled her eyes as her brother sighed, now they had to make their way to the Main Hall and help the other servants prepare for the treaty signing. Luckily, they would have the better part of the day as Uther and Arthur would be giving those from East Anglia a tour of Camelot.

Time flew by far too quickly for Merlin and Marayna and, before they knew it, it was twilight and the kings were returning from their ride. The servants were in a bustle setting the last of the food and making the treaty area perfect. By the time the kings and princes arrived, Merlin and Marayna were standing against the wall with the other royal servants, blocked a bit from the view of the royals by the line of nobles on either side of the aisle leading to the treaty area.

The two kings seemed in quite good spirits as they 'reviewed' the treaty, truly it hadn't changed at all since it had first been written. Everyone knew it was merely a formality and tradition of sorts. The kings merely grinned, each taking a quill and signing their names, pressing their signets into small wax droplets on either side of their markings before they turned and shook hands. They laughed, turning to everyone gathered as they started to cheer and clap, before they took their seats to enjoy the food.

Merlin and Marayna stood behind Arthur, next to the king, filling his goblet and putting food on his plate like they were supposed to. Marayna was not particularly happy that she had to wear a dress again. But, as Arthur had brought up earlier, she had gotten away with wearing tunic and leggings often enough, he did not think his father would be that lenient with other royals around. She had begrudgingly agreed and donned her red 'Gwen dress' as she dubbed it. It was one that looked like the gowns Gwen wore, only in red, essentially a white dress with a red sort of frock over it. It didn't help the situation any that Morgana had insisted she wear her hair down, though pulled back a bit, because there was one _infuriating_ strand of hair that kept falling over her eyes. Not trusting herself and the family clumsiness to hold the wine pitcher she was carrying in one hand, she had taken to trying to blow it up and to the side, but it wasn't working.

Though it_ did_ seem to be amusing both Arthur and Merlin quite a lot, neither of whom thought to help her any with that feat.

Merlin nudged her arm and nodded towards the left end of the table where a servant of East Anglia seemed to be wiping the mouth of the prince. Marayna shook her head at that. She hadn't exactly seen the visiting king or the prince face front so she hadn't the faintest idea what they looked like, other than that they both had blonde, curly hair. She didn't doubt though that the prince was probably handsome as all princes were, though she doubted she'd find him remotely attractive with the way he was acting. Honestly! Having a servant wipe his mouth for him? What, did he have one chew his food for him too? It was times like these where she was almost glad Arthur was her master, it could have been so much worse.

She snapped out of her thoughts when she noticed the kings stand as the feast drew to a close and began to walk among the nobles, just talking and socializing. She watched as the prince of East Anglia made his way straight to a small group of young noblewomen and promptly began to flirt shamelessly with them.

Merlin couldn't help but laugh when he saw Morgana mock gag at the prince's efforts with the women before she glanced over her shoulder and sent him a small smile. His own smile widened at the sight, not even leaving his face when he glanced to his side to see his sister smirking at him with an eyebrow raised and a knowing look on her face, '_Not a word Aya,_' he muttered to her in his mind.

'_I wouldn't dream of it_,' she mumbled, laughing.

Arthur stood as well, holding out a hand for Morgana to help her up before they made their way towards the crowd as well. Merlin and Marayna sighed as they too followed their master, they still had to make sure that the goblet he held in his hand was always full and attend to anything he might need.

It was quite dull actually, listening to the various nobles drone on and on and on about things the two sibling could care less about. Did they need to know that a woman's son had received a horse for his birthday? Did they care if a man's daughter had reached marrying age? Certainly not. And neither, it appeared, did Arthur, but he nodded politely, smiling through the stories until the point came in them where he could excuse himself without uproar.

He turned, his face falling tiredly as soon as his back was to the nobles. He held out his glass goblet and Marayna poured a bit of wine. As Arthur took a swig she looked around the room, finally seeing the king of East Anglia from the front and his son as well not too far off. It was then that she nearly dropped her pitcher.

Merlin glanced worriedly at his sister at the sound of her gasp and noticed with concern that she had gone a shade paler and her eyes were wide in shock, looking more like she was seeing something horrifying than anything boring, "Aya?" he asked, reaching out to rest a hand on her shoulder, "What's wrong?"

"It's him!" she hissed, nearly hyperventilating for only a moment until she saw the prince turning in their direction. She quickly ducked behind Arthur, pressing herself into his back and curling in on herself to make herself less noticeable behind his cloak and broad shoulders.

"What?" Arthur tried to turn but Marayna poked him in the side to make him turn the other way, "Mara what is the meaning of this?"

"It's _him_!" she repeated quietly.

"Who?" Arthur looked up to see the prince pausing to talk to another noblewoman, though most clearly on his way towards them, "The prince?"

"Yes!" she whispered, glancing around Arthur's side before hiding back behind him, "Richard!"

"_You_ know the prince?" Merlin blinked, completely confused as he subtly took the pitcher from his sister so she wouldn't spill it on Arthur's backside as she seemed likely to do with how fidgety she'd become.

"Unfortunately," she admitted, moaning.

She hadn't expected the prince to be Richard, he had brothers, younger brothers. She had thought that, as the king of East Anglia had no current queen, that he'd have left his eldest son to run the kingdom, as the king of Mercia had left his Queen in charge of managing his kingdom while he was in Camelot. She had NOT been expecting the prince that had accompanied the man to be Richard! Why not his brothers?! Why not THEM?! Any of them, any at all just NOT Richard.

'_How?_' Merlin whispered, watching her worriedly. She was scared, that much he could tell, but why? His sister was rarely _ever_ scared by anything. What had this man done?!

'_I'll tell you later,_' she replied, looking at him pleadingly, '_Please, just...get me out of here before he sees me!_'

Arthur, unaware of their silent conversation, was trying his damnedest not to let the sound of the moan or the fact that there was a warm body, clearly female, pressed up against him, get to him. But was failing...miserably. Instead, he glanced over his shoulder, "What did you do?" he smirked, "Insult him or something?"

"Or something," she mumbled, burying her face into his back so she could not see him.

Unfortunately, had she looked, Marayna would have noticed the prince of Camelot smirking deviously, "Well then," he sighed, reaching behind him and pulling her out to stand at his side, "It's time you apologize."

Her eyes widened even more, "No, Arthur you_ can't_!" she nearly shouted, before she remembered where exactly she was and hissing more under her breath, "You don't understand!"

"Oh I think I do," he grinned, walking towards Richard, a firm grip on Marayna's shoulder to keep her from fleeing, "Richard!" he called good-naturedly, drawing him away from his conversation with the latest noblewoman that had captured his attention, "I thought I should familiarize you with my servants. This is Merlin and…"

"Maria?" Richard cut him off, staring straight at Marayna in wonder, "Is that you?"

Marayna shut her eyes, sighing as her shoulders sank before taking a breath and opening her eyes, smiling awkwardly and tensely, "Hello Richard," she half-curtsyed, half-bowed, "Or should I say, hello Your Highness?"

Richard shook his head quickly, "No, no, it's...it's Richard," he whispered, "For_ you_, it's Richard."

"So you _are_ familiar each other?" Arthur inquired, looking in between the two curiously starting feel a sort of pit form in his stomach at how Richard was gaping at HIS maidservant so openly.

"Very," Richard offered what seemed to be an attempt at a suave grin, reaching out to pick up Marayna's hand and kiss the back of it.

'_Gross. Gross! GROSS!_' Marayna called to Merlin in her mind, though she was trying to remain impassive to everyone else, yet...being her brother, Merlin could clearly see her fighting a grimace.

"Ah, well then," Arthur cleared his throat, shifting uncomfortably with this new turn of events. He hadn't thought they were _that_ familiar. He could tell by Richard's tone and gaze that something had clearly happened between the two, and he just...wasn't sure how she knew the prince...or why that thought that there had been something between them infuriated him so, "If you are already familiar then I shall just…"

"Would you mind showing me the castle Maria?" Richard cut in, pulling the young woman forward by the hand he still held, and out of Arthur's reach, "I have seen the kingdom, but I am quite sure I shall get lost in the castle. Perhaps we can become…_re__acquainted_?"

Arthur didn't like the tone of that, not to mention Marayna was subtly trying to shake her head frantically at him to forbid it without Richard noticing. He was just about to reach out and yank her back when Richard spoke again, "I'm sure you won't mind my using _one_ of your servants just for tonight sire?" it was then that Arthur realized he was trapped. He couldn't deny the royal's request/demand, if he did, he just_ knew_ his father would lecture him for hours on the rules of hospitality and then his father would assign Marayna to Richard permanently for the entirety of his stay to appease the 'slighted' nobleman. As much as he was loath to do it...allowing Richard Marayna for only a few hours would keep him from demanding her from his father for days. So, instead, he gave a simple nod, his jaw clenching painfully as he watched Richard turn on the spot, Marayna now tucked under his arm as they walked out of the hall.

"Are you alright sire?" Merlin chanced, seeing the storming expression on the prince's face. Clearly, he was_ not_ happy about the situation either. He had no doubt that his sister would be able to handle it well enough...but right now, it didn't appear that Arthur could.

His thoughts were confirmed when Arthur's grip on his goblet tightened so much that the glass shattered, spilling wine and bits of glass all over the floor. Luckily, the prince had been wearing rather thick gloves and hadn't cut himself. Though, as Merlin scrambled to clean the mess, he couldn't help but wonder if the prince was actually picturing Richard's head instead of the goblet.

~8~

"Who was he Aya?" Merlin asked as he and his sister laid in their beds that night.

He'd just come from Arthur's chambers where the prince had demanded an explanation for what happened at the feast, yet Merlin could honestly not give him one. He was just as confused about everything and said so which resulted in Arthur excusing him for the night. He had to admit he WAS curious, his sister rarely ever spoke of her time in East Anglia, short of mentioning a story about a friend or two and speaking of their aunt.

He'd come straight back to the room to check if his sister was there and, thankfully, she was. He had asked Gaius to deliver Morgana's draught, which he knew she would understand him not being the one to bring it that night, she had seen Marayna being half-dragged out by Richard. Family was equally important to the both of them he had discovered during their late night talks. There would be days when Morgana didn't want to take the draught right away and would just lay in his arms as they talked about everything and anything. It was a large difference from the times she'd be so nervous around him (he'd been surprised when she'd admitted THAT to him) that she gulped down her draught in one shot so as not to make a fool of herself around him. Now though...she was comfortable enough in their feelings for each other, ever since Edwin really, that she was content not to take the draught so soon and just...talk in whispers and hushed tones about whatever was on their minds.

When he'd gotten to the room, he'd seen her sitting on the edge of her cot and asked her the very same question Arthur had of him, but received no answer. Marayna had simply laid down and rolled over. However, though not many people knew, Merlin could be very stubborn when the situation called for it and refused to let the question lie.

Marayna sighed, sensing that this conversation would not be ignored, and rolled over to face her brother, "That was Richard, Prince of East Anglia."

She could almost see Merlin rolling his eyes in the dark, "I knew that," he replied, "I want to know how he knows you."

"Do you remember where mother sent me?" she answered with another question.

Merlin, who was quite used to this tactic, her tendency to answer questions with more questions, simply sighed, "To Aunt Elaine's, for Lady-in-Waiting lessons."

"And where does Aunt Elaine live?"

"In East…oh…" Merlin understood. Their Aunt Elaine was a very minor noblewoman in the court of East Anglia. She had married a minor knight from there when she journeyed there as a teacher of the written word. They had not managed to have children and, instead, she had taken to teaching the younger children their basics of reading and writing, not quite a tutor but more like...a starting teacher, one who helped prepare them for when they would have lessons by other teachers and tutors and scholars, "You met him when you lived with Aunt Elaine didn't you?" their aunt taught many noble children, who would be exposed to court and other nobles, perhaps even the royalty, it would make sense.

"Yes," she nodded, "Helping her with her 'students' at times. Richard's younger sister was one of Aunt Elaine's and he would often visit her in lessons."

'_Arrogant bastard,_' she added silent, though Merlin chuckled out loud.

"I take it you don't like him much?" he grinned, though he could tell his sister was glaring at him.

"The hate I feel for him could only be rivaled by Uther's hate of magic," she countered dryly though seriously.

Merlin winced, "That bad?" he could barely see her nod, "What did he do? You looked pretty scared back there."

"I was _not_ scared! I was merely...startled."

"Fine, fine, startled then," he rolled his eyes, "But _why_?"

She sighed, reaching up to rub the side of her face, "He thinks he can have anything he wants, _anyone_ he wants, just because he's a prince. He took a fancy to me even though I repeatedly told him I was a commoner and that I didn't intend to stay in the kingdom _and_ that I wasn't interested."

"He didn't listen?" Merlin whispered, sensing his sister's stress and feeling his anger rise. He was catching brief glimpses of the man's advances on her in his mind and was utterly disgusted by how arrogant the man was. He made Arthur seem like the epitome of modesty.

"Not at all," she groaned, flopping back onto her bed, "And he just _kept trying_! Finally he tried to propose, my god he is MORE arrogant than Arthur. He actually thought that his father wouldn't try to execute me if he presented a peasant as his wife. But when I said no, he grabbed my wrist and said he could make it very difficult for me to say no. I slapped him, of course, but he…"

"He?" Merlin prodded as she trailed off.

Instead of answering she held out a hand to him. He leaned forward and took her hand, allowing a scene to play out in his mind...

He saw his sister slap the arrogant prince of East Anglia only for him to grab her wrist as she'd just described...but it continued with him twisting her arm, forcing her to cry out in pain before slapping her as well. He yanked her close and forcefully tried to kiss her when she reached out to push him away using a bit too much magic to do so. Richard went flying back into the wall and crumpled to the ground. Terrified by what she had done and knowing that East Anglia was against magic as a result of their alliance with Camelot, she paced around the hall, spinning around as though expecting a guard to come rushing around the corner. She looked at Richard, before turning to run off...only to stop dead and shake her head, running back, reaching out to him and pulling back as though trying to come up with some sort of help or plan, running her hands through her hair frantically. She bit her lip and looked down at him, before moving to kneel beside him, placing a hand on the prince's forehead and scrunched her eyes shut in concentration for a moment or two before standing and bolting down the hall.

He caught a few brief fragments of his sister explaining what happened to their aunt before gathering her belongings and setting out for Ealdor.

"What did you do?" he asked curiously when he pulled his hand away, the vision fading.

"I tried my best to erase the memory of the entire situation from his mind or bury it or blocket," she shook her head, "I honestly had no idea what I was doing but I just...had to try, seems like it worked though," she knew that was what her brother was asking about, about what she had done when she'd touched Richard's forehead, "I didn't want him to remember even proposing to me. I thought, if I could get out of there before he could find me, that he would forget about me and move on to another servant or something."

"Did he?"

"What do you think?" she smirked.

Of course he had.

His eye for women wandered more than Zeus's!

"God, he was ridiculous!" she continued to lament, putting her hands to her hair as though about to tug them out, "Always complaining and having servants do _everything_ and he always thought he was right! He couldn't even pronounce my name!"

Merlin laughed, "That's right! He called you Maria!"

Marayna grabbed her pillow and held it to her face a moment as she groaned into it, before sitting up, hugging it, "Do you know what he said when I tried to correct him?" Merlin shook his head, "He said, 'No, no, I'm quite sure it's Maria. Once you lose that common accent, I'm sure you'll see that as well.' Honestly!"

Merlin couldn't help but laugh even more at that. His sister was _always_ getting her name mispronounced. Even _he'd_ pronounced her name wrong when they were younger. Mah-ray-nah, not that hard. But hearing that someone was purposefully mis-saying her name was just too much. He oomphed as a pillow came sailing down upon his head.

"Not funny Merlin," she grumbled before laying back down, catching her pillow as it was thrown back to her.

"Well just think," he replied, trying to sound encouraging, "The nobles of East Anglia are to leave tomorrow night. You won't have to put up with Prince Pompous much longer."

"Prince Pompous?" she turned her head to glance at her brother, an eyebrow raised, before she smiled, "I like it," she turned back to face the ceiling, "Prince Pompous and Prince Prat, why are all princes such snobs?"

Merlin could only smirk, "I'm not sure, why are all princes taking a fancy to you?"

She rolled on her side, "Arthur does _not_ fancy me."

Merlin rolled to his side as well, propping himself up on his elbow, "You weren't there when he broke his goblet just from watching you leave with Richard."

He could tell she was blushing even if he couldn't see it, "It doesn't mean he fancies me," she murmured before rolling onto her other side, her back to him, "Good night Merlin."

And he knew the conversation was over. Oh well, it gave him time to come up with ways to prove Arthur fancied his sister and plot different torture strategies should he hurt her.

~8~

Merlin was in the middle of mucking out the stables the next day, when a throat cleared behind him. He glanced over his shoulder to see Arthur leaning against the doorway and rolled his eyes, turning back to his work. He knew what the prince was going to ask even before he asked it, "Where's Mara?"

Merlin paused in his mucking for a moment, "She's been trying to avoid the stables lately," he shrugged, symbolizing that he didn't know why she was. Well, he did, but he didn't need Arthur to pester an answer out of him for that as well. Marayna had explained her tension with the stables that morning when she had asked him to muck out her share for her while she took on his chores of preparing Arthur's armor. He'd agreed of course, he still owed her for all the work she did when Morgana had been ill so that he could spend time with her.

"Ah," Arthur nodded, clearly curious as to why the young woman was avoiding the stables but didn't question further, "I saw her with Richard earlier," he commented in what he hoped was a causal manner.

It wasn't.

Merlin couldn't help but smirk for a moment at the thought of the great Prince of Camelot being jealous of another prince's time spent with a servant and spying on them. But he sobered quickly as he remembered that said servant was his sister and she was in the company of a prince she detested.

"Yes, she mentioned that," Merlin muttered.

And indeed she had, just after they had prepared Arthur for the morning and gone to do the chores he'd assigned, she had mentioned that Richard requested her presence for a portion of the day before their parting the next morning. He'd asked what had happened the other night and she had explained that Richard had inquired to how she had been after leaving East Anglia and if she missed it/him, to which she had instantly replied no. He'd gobbed on for a while about how her aunt missed her as did his sister, the castle was not the same without her, how her beauty…and so on and so on. Which she promptly pushed to the far reaches of her mind so as not to have to suffer through memories of it. She was only able to pull herself away by mentioning she was to tend to Arthur that morning, which had been when he made his request.

"I thought Richard knew his way around the castle by now," Arthur frowned, but Merlin said nothing. After a moment or two Arthur spoke again, "They seem to know each other."

This time Merlin _did_ smirk, hearing the prince's unspoken question. _How_ did they know each other? And how well?

"Yeah," Merlin nodded, "Our Aunt Elaine, the one who was teaching Aya to be a lady-in-waiting, was of the court in East Anglia. She also taught the children basics for reading and writing"

"Oh," Arthur smiled, relieved that _that_ was it.

Of course, that would be how they knew each other. He'd been requested a few times to attend some classes of the like with the other young nobles, to prepare them for their full lessons with their tutors when the time came. It would not do for a young noble to appear uneducated even to their own tutors. He would have laughed at the ridiculousness of him tossing about last night fretting over the situation...had Merlin left it at that.

"Apparently, he proposed to her," Merlin commented nonchalantly, glancing up only when he heard the prince choking on air.

"Wh-what?!" he demanded, utterly shocked.

Merlin nodded, "That seems to be the reason she left. He tried to coerce her into marriage and she had to resort to using m…more force than was befitting a lady to tell him otherwise," he thanked his lucky stars that the prince hadn't noticed his near slip at saying magic, "Clearly, he didn't get the message."

"She said _no_?" Arthur spoke after a moment, once he felt his heartbeat return to normal.

Merlin shrugged, "Seems he was so terrible she fled the court and came to Camelot to escape him," he joked, smiling as the prince seemed to relax and smile at the small jest.

Arthur took a breath before nodding at Merlin and leaving the stables towards the castle. After gaining that useful bit of information, there was no doubt in his mind that he should probably find Marayna, if only to keep Richard from bothering her. Of course that was it. The fact that he was so relieved by her refusal of marriage to the prince of East Anglia and the need to reassure himself that she was still_ in Camelot_ and not running off with the other prince had nothing to do with it at all.

~8~

The sun was just setting by the time the prince of Camelot spied his missing maidservant. She was seated, curled in a window in the west tower just...staring out at the sunset. He was about to clear his throat to alert her of his presence when she spoke, "Hello Arthur."

"How did you know it was me?" he took a step up and leaning against the window to look down at her sitting.

She smiled softly, her gaze still on the sun, "You're the only one who stomps all over the place as though you own it," she glanced up at him.

"I _do_ own it," he smirked.

She raised an eyebrow, "Your_ father_ owns it. And he doesn't stomp, he stalks."

Arthur let out a small laugh at that, it _was_ just like his father to stalk everywhere, cloak billowing for dramatic effect, anything to make himself look more imposing and authoritative, it was a bit ridiculous now that he thought on it. His smile fell as he saw her attention return to out the window, a small, thoughtful smile on her face, "What are you thinking of?"

The thought 'please don't let it be Richard,' struck him before he could stop it.

She sighed, "My time at Aunt Elaine's," she answered truthfully, "The good times with her," then she groaned, "And the horrendous times with _Richard_."

Arthur couldn't help but feel satisfied when she said Richard's name as though it were some sort of disgusting disease, "So your brother tells me, you were nearly Princess of East Anglia?"

She let her head thump into her knees, shaking it and mumbling something that sounded oddly like 'I'm going to kill him' before she looked up at the prince, "He proposed and I said no," she stated simply.

"You said no to a prince," he gave her a look, "Why? You could have had everything."

She nearly glared at him, "I would _never_ marry someone like him for all the gold in the world!"

"Why not?" he actually sounded genuinely curious.

"I know how it goes for you nobles," she shook her head, "You lot marry for convenience instead of love, but that is NOT the way I was raised and that is not what I would have wanted. Richard didn't love me, I was just the newest face, something different. To marry a man like Richard..." she scoffed, clearly indicating her distaste at that idea.

"And what sort of man is he?" Arthur inquired.

She shrugged, keeping quiet for a moment before going off, "He's so arrogant!" she shouted suddenly, "And cocky and rude and chauvinistic and horrible! He's a cruel, uncaring, unsympathetic, unempathetic, disrespectful, greedy, lustful, prideful, obsessive, ignorant, egotistical, dishonest, conceited, selfish, narrow-minded, vain, snobbish, insolent, bigoted, callous, insensitive, cold, unfeeling, fickle, underhanded, hypocritical, irritating, judgmental, lying, oppressing, presumptuous, annoying, shallow, spineless, tactless, stubborn self-absorbed arsehole who can't take no for an answer!"

By this point Marayna was breathing quite heavily having said_ all_ that in just one breath with her face turning a lovely shade of red from anger and lack of air. It probably wasn't the smartest thing to go off like that about a prince to another prince, especially one who was hosting the other...but he'd asked for it.

Arthur had actually backed away a few steps at the vehemence of her tirade, "I take it you don't like him much then."

She stared at him a moment, before she let out a small laugh, shaking her head as she leaned back against the window, now completely calm from her outburst. Though Arthur was going to play it safe and keep his distance. Who knew that lurking beneath that sweet exterior was a raving lunatic? ...well...then again, she HAD once punched him and called him a clotpole, whatever that was.

"At least _you_ have redeeming qualities," she mumbled, unaware that he had heard her.

"Like what?"

She blushed faintly at having been caught at saying that, before looking away out the window, "Well, for one thing you actually _care_ about your people, you even care about your servants," she smiled softly at that, "You're kindhearted, compassionate, rational mostly, strong, willful, determined, skilled in some areas, honorable, gentle when you make an attempt, accepting, as open-minded as you can be with Uther as your father, brave, loyal, kind, merciful, understanding, considerate, loving…" she trailed off, just noticing that Arthur was staring at her...just realizing what she'd SAID with him right there.

She looked out the window once more and they continued in silence for quite a while, both lost in thought, Marayna, very embarrassed that she had just gushed like that to the prince of Camelot. Arthur, though, was very delighted that she had. He was always being told of his strengths by others, by his father, by Morgana, by Gaius, the knights, even Merlin. But, for some reason, hearing it from _Marayna_ meant so much more to him. Probably because she had NO qualms with pointing out his numerous faults and challenging him with them. So...for HER to think he too possessed those qualitites...it meant more.

"I, uh, I noticed you weren't in the sables before," Arthur began, interrupting the silence, and she simply nodded, "Merlin said you were avoiding them."

She sighed, hearing his unspoken question, "When I was with Aunt Elaine, when I had to constantly put up with Richard, he always looked at me the way Uther does Cobalt."

Arthur nodded along, waiting for her to get to the point. What did that have to do with anything? Cobalt was a wild horse they had found a few days ago and tied up in Arthur's stables to train, the stallion would make a fine warhorse one day they were sure of it.

"He looked at me as though I were simply a horse to be broken."

And _then_ he realized why she hadn't entered his stables. With Richard here, reminding her of his advances and his leering gaze, no wonder she didn't want to be around Cobalt as Uther, and even he, tried to break the stallion. It reminded her too much of how Richard had tired incessantly to force her to do something she didn't want to do, to force her into a role she didn't want a part of.

He looked away, ashamed at his own actions when put in a perspective like that, to see that the sun had finished setting and twilight was upon them. It would soon be time for the farewell dinner for the king and prince of East Anglia before they left tomorrow morning. He would have to prepare.

He glanced down at Marayna for a moment before holding out his hand, "Shall we?"

She sighed, taking his hand as he helped pull her to her feet and began to walk in the direction of his chambers, "Where did Richard go?" he asked out of nowhere, "I thought he requested your presence?"

She smirked slightly, "He did. But luckily for me, Richard was never a good hunter, it was easy to elude him."

Arthur just laughed and shook his head. One day, he would have to test her skills at hiding with a _real_ hunter after her, a hunter like...himself perhaps.

~8~

Merlin and Marayna stood on either side of Arthur, though just behind him, as he and his father greeted the king and prince of Anglia as they entered the hall. Tonight had both Merlin and his sister dressed slightly better than the night before. Both were secretly celebrating the departure of the East Anglians and agreed to dress a bit more for that occasion. Merlin was in a simple red tunic and brown pants while Marayna was wearing a simple red gown. Not the 'Gwen dress' but a long-sleeved, flowing dress. Simple, or at least she thought it had been before she donned it and realized Morgana had had it taken to a seamstress to have golden vines embroidered in its bodice and along the hemlines.

It was too late to change before the feast and even less time after Morgana and Gwen whisked her away and managed to set her hair held back by a series of intricate braids in all of ten minutes. It must have been a record for the girls. Cleary they were onto her attempts at escaping and were trying to be as quick as possible to avoid that.

Prince Richard came up to Arthur, shaking his hand briefly before sidestepping so he was right in front of Marayna, "Maria, might I have this dance?"

Marayna glanced at her brother and Arthur to see both of them rolling their eyes at the prince's mispronunciation of her name. As they prepared, Merlin had told the prince of Richard's belief of HER being the one to mispronounce her own name which got a good laugh out of him, though now he could see just how annoying it was.

"I'm sure Ma_rayna_," Arthur emphasized dryly, "Would love to."

Marayna nearly groaned, she had been hoping Arthur would say she had other duties to attend to, but clearly, that would go against the rules of hospitality. Though she was just a little happy to hear the stressed tone of his voice, he was_ not_ happy about this either. It was a comfort, if just a bit. And so she nodded her head respectfully and took his outstretched hand, grimacing as she did so, his hands were always cold yet sweaty at the same time, it was utterly disgusting. And her grimace seemed to be something Richard didn't notice, but another prince did.

Richard led her onto the small space reserved for dancing, holding her stiffly, far closer than she was comfortable with. Far too close than she felt was proper, especially for a prince and servant. Thankfully, the first song played was a simple waltz that she knew just well enough to only need to subtly glance down at her feet, not that it helped her any, the dress was just long enough to _cover_ her feet without tripping her.

Eventually though, she wouldn't even be able to tell where her feet were they had been stepped upon so much. Each time, Richard would just mutter a simple, 'follow _my_ lead' and continue on, stepping on her foot again.

As the song ended, she thanked every god she knew that it was over and she could get back to her duties. Never before would she have thought she'd ever look forward to tending to Arthur, but it was amazing how much could change.

Unfortunately though, Richard reached out and grabbed her hand, holding her in place as the second song began. She inwardly groaned and took the first few steps when he stepped on her foot again. She hesitated just a moment, biting her lip to keep from verbally berating him, when she felt a finger tap her shoulder. She stopped completely, stepping back from Richard to see Arthur standing there.

"If I may?" he asked Richard, before stepping into his place without waiting for a reply.

They picked up the dance after a moment, both silent till they saw Richard walk over to the main table and sit beside his father.

Marayna let out a breath before turning to look back at Arthur, "Thank you," she murmured quietly.

He shook his head, "Think nothing of it," he replied, "I felt you'd been punished enough for the sake of hospitality," he leaned in a bit closer, his hand unconsciously pulling her closer to him in the process, "I could tell he stood on your foot," he whispered, leaning back.

She smiled, "Well, still...thank you," they danced in silence for a few more moments when Marayna glanced up at Arthur once more, only to see him fiercely glaring at the high table, directly at Richard, and raised an eyebrow, "Any other reason?"

He looked down at her for a second before returning his glare to Richard, "I didn't like the way he was holding you," he muttered nonchalantly, though she could feel his hand grip her own tighter, "Far too intimate for such occasions," she would have laughed at that, when Arthur spoke once more, far more quietly, almost lost in thought, "And if anyone is going to hold you like that, it would be me."

Marayna could feel her heartbeat speed up at the words as her eyes widened. She kept quiet though, seeing that he was not done speaking yet. She felt the hand on her back pull her ever so slightly closer, far closer than Richard had held her, though...this embrace she didn't actually mind.

"You're mine," he said softly, still glaring severely at Richard, "You're _my_ servant, you belong to _me_."

Marayna raised an eyebrow at that comment for just a moment, the comment on the verge of sounding like he was speaking of someone being 'owned' by someone else, before setting it down and smirking up at him, "And you're _my_ master," she countered, drawing his attention away from the table and capturing his intense gaze with one of her own, "Does that mean you belong to me?"

Arthur froze, stunned at her words, just as the song drew to an end. Marayna half-bowed, half-curtseyed and turned, making her way towards her brother and leaving a very stunned prince, who hadn't even noticed her trip a bit on the hem of her dress, standing in the middle of the floor even as the third song began.

"How does she _do_ that?" he asked himself out loud.

~8~

The next morning, Merlin and Marayna watched the departure of the king and prince of East Anglia happily from Arthur's bedroom window. They had just finished straightening up the room as Arthur went to bid the visitors farewell. They stood there, watching until the last glimmers of the green banners had disappeared.

"Glad that's over," Arthur stated as he strode into the room and flopped down on his newly made bed. He rolled over onto his back at hearing the groan of his servants for wrinkling their work, and smirked at them.,"Merlin," he called, "I need you to polish my armor, sharpen my sword, and mend my shield."

"Yes, sire," Merlin grumbled, still standing there, waiting for his sister to receive her chores so they could leave together. Though, when Arthur realized this, he quickly made a gesture telling Merlin to leave. Merlin cast a quick glance at his sister before heading out of the room and down to the armory.

"Marayna," Arthur began, sitting up, "I'd like you to muck out my stables."

She frowned at that, "Arthur, you know I don't feel comfortable being in the stables with Cobalt…"

"Cobalt isn't there," he interrupted.

She looked up to see him getting off the bed and stretching, "What do you mean 'he isn't there?'"

"It seems as though one of the stablehands did a clumsy job and did not secure his stall. Cobalt escaped in the middle of the night."

Marayna was about to ask how he managed to get past the main door of the stables as well because, surely, the stablehand hadn't been_ that_ clumsy…when she noticed a very specific grin on Arthur's face. She could feel herself beginning to smile as a realization came to her, "Escaped did he?" she repeated, only receiving a nod from Arthur, "I do hope the poor stablehand wasn't punished too severely."

"I don't think he will be," Arthur shrugged, though he knew she had figured it out.

She stepped up to him, smiling brightly, "Thank you," she whispered sincerely, taking his hands in her own.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he couldn't help but grin even as he tried to seem innocent...and failed spectacularly at it.

"Of course not," she laughed, pulling her hands away, "I shall get started on the stables right away, sire."

Arthur could only grin as he watched her walk out of his room, her glancing back as she reached the door to give him one last smile. He released a shuddering breath and couldn't help but think that, if he was going to receive a smile like that every time, perhaps he should capture and release more wild horses.

A/N: Ooh...I think we all know what's coming next }:) The Gates of Avalon are waiting, as is Sophia }:D I'm very excited for the next chapter ;)

As for this one, I hope you enjoyed the little interaction/fleeing/jealousy with Richard :) I sort of wanted a little bit of jealousy on Arthur's part to sort of parallel the hints of it we saw in Lancelot :) Here though, Arthur's faced with someone who seems rather interested in Marayna }:) Which also ties in nicely with Sophia, some other woman interested in Arthur ;)

Some notes on reviews...

We'll start to see the pairings getting closer and closer together :) I won't say when it'll happen, but we will see feelings expressed in this first story, so within the next 2 weeks ;) I can say that Merlin and Morgana might just happen slightly before Arthur and Marayna :)


	11. The Gates of Avalon

The Gates of Avalon

Merlin found himself starting awake by a sudden move next to him.

"Arthur!" Morgana gasped as she nearly jumped awake and out of the bed. She sat up quickly, looking around, fear present in her eyes, "Arthur!"

Merlin quickly sat up and wrapped his arms around her, "It's alright," he whispered, hugging her close as she turned and buried her face into his chest. He frowned, she was shaking. Usually when she woke like that she'd pant a bit, put a hand to her head, and let out a breath before falling back down, calm...so this...it had to be frightful and serious, "What is it?"

She sighed, "Bad dream," she mumbled into his shirt, "I'm sorry I woke you…it was so real though…"

"It was only a dream," he whispered, rocking her softly till she calmed down, "Do you want to talk about it?"

She shook her head, "No, I'm alright," she breathed in his scent and pulled back, "It's just a dream, no need to get so upset about it."

She smiled up at him as he pushed a lock of her hair behind her ear before glancing out the window to see the sun just peeking out of the ground. He sighed, "I'd better go," he mumbled softly. She simply nodded, offering a quiet thank you as she laid back down, she always slept better when Merlin was there, like...like he was protect her in her dreams, like whatever horrible things she saw she knew they couldn't hurt her with Merlin there. Merlin pulled the covers up more, hesitating a moment before laying a quick soft kiss on her forehead, beaming when he saw it had been well received given Morgana's answering smile and blush, before quietly making his way out of the room.

~8~

Arthur crept quietly through the woods, his crossbow at the ready. He paused, crouching down, spying a deer in the distance and slowly raised the bow, looking down the arrow at his prey, waiting for the opportune moment to…

He suddenly found himself on the ground, a piece of something furry in his mouth. He spit it out to see that Marayna had stumbled into him, knocked him over, and was now practically laying on top of him. The fur that had been in his mouth was one of the smaller animals he had caught earlier that she was carrying.

He was about to scold her for ruining his shot when she giggled and looked at him. She glanced at their position before smirking, "Is _this_ the proper occasion?"

For the last week or so, any chance Marayna had gotten to spark even the tiniest bit of intimacy she had followed it by that question. He knew she was teasing him about his comment with Richard, how he'd said it wasn't the proper moment for the man to hold her so closely while dancing...he also knew he didn't much mind the intimacy she created either. Though he'd tried to put a stop to it when his father had almost caught them in an incriminating position as he was trying to teach her how to use a crossbow herself, having finally gotten tired of her constant pleas to teach her for the last few months. If his father had seen them, Marayna's life would be on the line and he...he honestly couldn't bear to think of what would happen if she were no longer in his life. He had no idea what Richard had been thinking in asking Marayna to marry him, both their fathers would have had her executed or something, using the excuse of sorcery and enchantment to explain a prince falling for a servant. But then again, if Marayna was to be believed in her tirade against the other prince...Richmond wasn't the sharpest sword in the armory.

Marayna shook her head at his thoughtful expression, knowing she had gotten to him. She loved doing that, surprising him with situations and positions like that, almost...teasing him, if she were to believe Merlin's comments on it all. She laughed quietly as she stood, reaching out a hand to help the prince up. She glanced to her side before looking back the way she came and holding up a finger to her lips before pushing a branch aside to reveal the deer still standing there.

Arthur smirked and crouched down, preparing to fire another shot when Merlin came bursting though the trees and straight into him, which made Marayna whoop and cheer as the deer was startled off. As though she'd let Arthur hunt the poor creature, she knew Merlin was on the way and she rather enjoyed watching Arthur nearly topple over again. Merlin had been carrying the other weapons which made him heavier than normal and able to unbalance Arthur, but the prince managed to catch his balance just in time.

"What is it?" Merlin asked, excited, staring through the trees to see the deer scamper off.

"You really _are_ a total buffoon, aren't you Merlin?" Arthur snapped. He could handle one of them bumping into him, but _both_ of them? Sometimes he wondered if their clumsiness was just an act to annoy him.

"I was just asking," Merlin mumbled, pouting, as his sister just laughed.

"Who? Me or the deer? We're supposed to be hunting. It requires speed, stealth, and an agile mind," he finished that thought by smacking Merlin on the forehead.

"So how do you do it on only 2 then?" Marayna quipped and Arthur turned to round on her when a scream echoed through the forest.

"What was that?" Merlin looked up.

"Quiet," Arthur ordered. They were silent, waiting, listening...when another scream reached them. Arthur immediately grabbed his sword from Merlin and ran towards the sound. Merlin followed a moment later with his sister only to see an old man and a young woman in yellow robes surrounded by bandits.

"Please," the old man cried out as he was thrown down, "I beg you. Mercy!"

The young woman screamed once more as she was detained by another bandit shrieking as the man's grip tightened when one of his fellows fell to the ground as Arthur shot him with his crossbow. The prince quickly dropped it and went after the first two bandits with his sword, taking them out with ease. He'd knocked one down and was concentrating on the second when the first began to rise again, unbeknownst to the prince.

Marayna glanced up and saw an old tree, '_Merlin there!_' she called to him, directing his gaze to the same tree.

Understanding what his sister had in mind, Merlin quickly uttered a spell, "_Forbærne firgenholt__,_" causing the branch to break off the tree and plummet onto the head of the bandit.

Arthur succeeded in killing the last of the bandits until only one remained...a man who fled from the swordsman far more skilled than himself. He glanced up at the same tree, looking at the cracked branch, muttering, "That's a stroke of luck," under his breath as he made his way to the two travelers, huddled in fear.

"And let _that_ be a lesson to you!" Merlin shouted after the fleeing bandit...only for Arthur to turn to stare at him.

"What?" Marayna smirked, earning a smile from the prince, "Merlin's making sure they don't try to attack Camelot."

Arthur just shook his head and turned to face the cloaked travelers, "Are you alright?" he asked them, his attention on the young woman, "They didn't hurt you?"

The young woman suddenly turned, lifting the hood of her golden cloak as she did so to reveal a beautiful brunette though...Marayna blinked, she could have sworn that a second ago the two appeared to be ugly blue creatures, but it had to be her imagination. They looked perfectly normal.

"No," the woman smiled at Arthur, who stared at her.

Marayna flinched slightly as a sort of pain hit her. It felt like a pinch in her chest, but it was gone so quickly, she was sure she had just pulled something on their run over and shook her head, it was probably nothing.

"Thanks to you," the woman continued, gesturing to herself and the old man beside her, "I'm Sophia, this is my father."

"Arthur Pendragon," he introduced himself, reaching out to lift the woman's hand to his lips, "At your service."

Marayna just shifted uncomfortably and looked away.

~8~

Arthur, Merlin, and Marayna stood to the side in the Main Hall as the old man and Sophia stood before the king, introducing themselves, "My name is Aulfric, heir to Tia Moor, this is my daughter, Sophia," the old man stated, smiling at the girl beside him as he leaned on a walking staff.

"You're a long way from home," Uther commented, "What brings you to Camelot?"

"Our home was sacked by raiders. We barely escaped with what few possessions we could carry."

"These are dangerous times," Uther nodded, understanding, "What will you do?"

"We travel west to Kylieon, to where we have family and hope for a new life," Aulfric spoke quietly, resting a hand on his daughter's back.

"You must stay here for a while, break your journey," Uther invited, nodding to himself, "A noble family like yours is always welcome in Camelot."

Marayna snorted at that, Merlin nudging her in the side for it, but it was just so...Uther. To only welcome the noble families instead of making Camelot feel like all were welcome. Not that ALL ever did feel welcome, nobility or not Uther would murder any magic user to set foot in the kingdom. Which only reaffirmed Marayna's claim, in her mind, that Uther cared more about the kingdom than the people in it. Unlike Arthur who...actually seemed to stand a chance of being a better man than his father was...if she and Merlin could just get him to realize not every single person with magic was evil. She'd helped him in taking a rather large step when she'd explained what happened to his mother, he had sworn only to punish those who deserved it, those who used their magic for evil...

The only problem with that was...Arthur hadn't said much after that, they had no idea if he still considered every (or even a majority) of magic users evil and thus deserving of the punishments his father was dishing. They wouldn't blame him if he did, it seemed like everyone with magic that came to Camelot tried to use it to harm Uther by harming Arthur. They really did need to introduce him to something, anything, that portrayed magic for good. They couldn't let him fall into Uther's trap and start to think that most of the magic users were inherently evil or foul, they needed him to see it COULD be chosen to be used for good.

Aulfric nodded and he and his daughter turned to leave the Main Hall, Sophia pausing by the door and glancing over her shoulder at Arthur with a small smirk on her face...

"Ow," Marayna flinched again, resting a hand over her heart. The pinch had happened again, just...a bit more noticeable this time.

"Are you alright?" Merlin glanced at her worriedly.

She rubbed her chest for a moment, looking up to see Sophia walk out, before nodding, "I'm fine," she murmured, though she was frowning at the door, "...just a pinch."

Merlin nodded, though his gaze lingered on his sister until Arthur stepped away from them to continue to watch Sophia leave the hall.

~8~

"Make sure you put her in a decent room," Arthur ordered as he entered his room, Merlin and Marayna following behind him.

"The one next door's empty," Merlin commented before he could stop himself, his head shooting up to look at his sister. He cursed himself for making such a suggestion because of what it implied, but she didn't seem too bothered by it...actually it didn't even seem like she'd heard him as she was absently tidying the room...and then he knew something was most certainly bothering her given that she was actually and willingly cleaning.

"The one next door's fine," Arthur paused, smiling, "Excellent, in fact," he nodded...before he saw Merlin staring at him, a knowing look in his eyes, "Shut up, Merlin," he shook his head.

"He didn't say anything," Marayna laughed, shaking herself out of her thoughts and moving to stand next to her brother.

"He didn't have to," Arthur rolled his eyes at them both smirking at him, "I want to make it clear that my intentions towards Sophia are completely honorable," a moment later he added, "Put her in the room on the other side of the castle, its warmer, it's more comfortable."

"Of course," Merlin nodded, liking the idea that the woman would be far away from Arthur very much. He knew his sister cared for the prince deeply, even if she refused to admit it. Having that Sophia girl around would only serve to cause his Aya unnecessary pain, and he tried to avoid that at all costs as a good older brother did.

Unfortunately, that didn't seem to be the same train of thought as his sister, "She's rather beautiful, isn't she?" he heard Marayna mention nonchalantly. He turned his head to shoot her a questioning glance, which she ignored, her attention focused on Arthur.

"Yes she is," the prince smiled.

"And if you have 'honorable' intentions…"

"Oh, I do. Most definitely."

"Then why can't she stay next door again?" she finished.

"You know...I have no idea," Arthur smirked, glancing at Marayna, "You've convinced me, put her in the room next to mine."

Marayna nodded and headed out the door, followed closely by her brother, neither of them seeing Arthur's smirk turn into a sort of frown as he sighed, watching her go.

'_Aya what are you doing?_' she heard in her mind as they walked down the halls.

She sighed, the smile on her face now falling into a frown that, unknown to her, was mirroring Arthur's, '_Something isn't right about Sophia,_' she answered, '_This is the only way we can keep an eye on her._'

Merlin frowned, he'd thought Sophia was a pleasant person, but he knew his sister, knew enough not to doubt her and the impressions she got of people, '_We could have put her on the other side of the castle. __She'd be farther from Arthur if she's plotting something._'

'_Keep your friends close and enemies closer,_' she recited an old lesson of Gaius's, '_If she does anything, I'd rather it be under my nose than behind my back._'

Merlin nodded, though he could tell that this was actually bothering her more than she let on, a thought that became even more clear when, as they walked, it was in silence, his sister was hardly ever that quiet unless something was upsetting her, '_Everything will be alright you know_.'

She nodded, forcing a smile as her brother draped an arm over her shoulders, sensing her unease, '_I hope so._'

He gave her a sideways squeeze, at least now he knew what SHE was so eager for Sophia to be so close...now he just had to figure out why ARTHUR was so eager for it as well. The man was so smitten by his sister that he was breaking glass goblets and nearly starting wars by interrupting dances...yet Arthur was staring off after Sophia.

So what was Arthur's reasoning in all that?

~8~

Marayna sat in Gaius's chambers that night, worried about Morgana. After she and Merlin had taken Sophia to her new room Morgana had cornered them and demanded to know who the girl was. It was clear to them both that she did NOT want that girl there and appeared to be quite frightened and pale. Merlin explained later that Morgana had had a terrible nightmare last night and hadn't been able to get back to sleep. When Marayna asked what it was about Merlin could only answer Arthur as Morgana hadn't talked about the dream after that. Which didn't help calm the girl's fears any as what felt like omen after omen built up, which made her reconsider how wise it was to put Sophia so near Arthur's rooms.

When they'd returned to Gaius's chambers, the old man had told them of Morgana visiting him as well and how he had given her a stronger draught to take. Upon hearing that, Merlin immediately excused himself to check on Morgana, leaving his sister alone to her thoughts.

She ran a hand through her hair, throughout the day, whenever she saw Aulfric or Sophia she kept catching glimpses of them with blue skin. But a second later they would be normal again. That had never happened to her before and she was concerned that it might be an affliction of her eyes, but she didn't want to tell her uncle that. He had enough to worry about with Morgana. Sighing, she stood and made her way to bed.

Meanwhile, in another room of the castle, Merlin laid awake, staring at Morgana as she laid in his arms. He'd been both hopeful that the draught would work and terrified that it wouldn't and refused to sleep even a wink until he knew for sure. He held Morgana firmly, trying to offer as much comfort as possible incase it wasn't quite as strong as she'd hoped it would be.

She had told him a few times that she would have a nightmare and his presence comforted her enough to allow her to sleep through to the end of it. There had been an odd number of times where a rather vivid or terrible nightmare had forced her awake, like last night, where his presence did very little other than calm her down after she'd woken. But still, it DID calm her even then. And he liked that, he liked being a comfort to her.

A whimper reached his ears and he glanced down to see Morgana turning her head this way and that, followed closely by her twitching as a nightmare set in. Not wanting to have her terrified, he proceeded to gently shake her awake. Sometimes he could wake her before they got too bad as well.

Her eyes fluttered open revealing fear in their depths as they looked into Merlin's. She scrunched them shut and rolled on her side, burying her face into his chest as he held her.

~8~

The next morning would find Marayna at work, making Arthur's bed, discretely listening in on her brother's conversation with the prince. This morning had revealed a pleasant surprise of Arthur already awake and dressed, though it seemed, unable to make his bed. Of course. Marayna had set to work on that while Merlin stood off to the side, talking in hushed tones with Arthur.

"I'm taking Sophia out for a ride today," she heard Arthur say quietly, "You know, show her around."

"Where do I come into this?" Merlin sighed, already dreading the answer.

"Well, I'm supposed to be on patrol with the guard and my father this morning…so, I need you to cover for me."

"You want _Merlin_ to lie to the king?" Marayna cut in, finishing her work and turning to face them, leaning against the bedpost and crossing her arms over her chest as she stared at them.

"No, no way," Merlin agreed, shaking his head furiously, "No, he'll see right through me. He'll have me in the stocks quicker than you can say 'rotten tomatoes!'"

"Merlin," Arthur nearly whined, smiling when that earned a soft laugh from Marayna, "I need you to do this for me."

"He's rubbish at lying," Marayna tried arguing, getting her laugh under control. It was true, for all their magic secret keeping, Merlin really _was_ a terrible liar. She was honestly surprised when she arrived to find that Merlin hadn't been discovered.

"I start sweating," Merlin nodded.

"He goes cross-eyed. And stutters. And gets this odd nervous twitch in his left eye. And..."

"My brain just stops working…" Merlin cut in, trying not to flush at her description of his lying.

"No change there then," Arthur muttered, "Look, I promised Sophia I'd take her out and if I don't turn up, it'll burn my chances."

"You like her, then?" Merlin frowned at him, both dreading this answer, especially with his sister standing right there to hear it, and wondering what it would be...because he (and Gwen, and Morgana, and Gaius, and even the bloody Dragon) were sure Arthur preferred Marayna. So why was he suddenly vying for Sophia's attention?

"Yeah, what's not to like?" Arthur cleared his throat, managing a smile, "I want to spend some more with her, but I need to get my father off my back. I can't _order _you to lie to the king, but I'll be your friend for life if you do."

Marayna took a breath and made the decision, "So go spend time with her. Leave Uther to us."

Arthur turned to glance at her, smiling, before returning his attention to Merlin long enough to get a quick, "Thanks Merlin, I won't forget this," out before rushing from the room.

Merlin sighed and turned to his sister, only to see her smiling sadly, "What am I supposed to do?" he shook his head at her, "You _know_ how badly I lie."

She smirked at him, "Of course I do. Which is why _you_ won't be the one to lie."

"What?" he blinked, completely at a loss. Arthur had asked _him_ to lie, what was she…and then it hit him, "Aya you can't!"

"Why not?" she shrugged, "Honestly Merlin, do you _really_ believe the king would fall for an excuse of 'I forgot to tell him he was to patrol with the guards' from you, the forgetful one who never tells Arthur the itinerary? Or from me, the one who usually remembers what chores Uther's set for Arthur and tells him? Uther's taken to telling ME what Arthur does, you wouldn't have known what the plan for the day anyway. It has to be me. And besides," she nudged him, "I've always been the better liar," she winked, sticking out her tongue at him.

He gave a small laugh at that but had to sigh again, she _did_ have a point. She usually was the one that Uther focused on when listing the duties for Arthur, the king knew she would most likely remember it and wouldn't expect Merlin to remember instead, "If you're sure," he mumbled hesitantly.

"I am," she nodded, rubbing his back as they walked out of the room.

"You do know he'll probably throw you in the stocks for this."

"It's the least I can do for my brother to take his place in the stocks, especially since you're allergic to tomatoes."

"I am not," he grinned, nudging her.

"Oh really?" she questioned, grinning as well, "So when we were younger and mother gave us tomatoes to eat, and you turned red and itchy, that was what?" she glanced around to make sure they were alone but dropped her voice to be safe, "Your magic reacting to your desire to _be_ a tomato?"

"Oh ha ha," he rolled his eyes, she was always teasing him about that. Though he had to admit, it _was_ rather funny when he turned completely red. The itching hadn't been so much fun though.

They paused outside the Main Hall, staring up at the doors in silence, before Merlin spoke again, "Are you_ sure_ about this? You don't have to take the fall just because Arthur's smitten with Sophia."

"I was actually expecting this," she confessed, "Sophia is nobleborn, she's very beautiful, and I'm just a servant."

"You're not _just_ a you said before, there's something off about her. We just have to figure it out before it's too late."

"What if there's nothing wrong with her?" she mumbled, "What if I'm just…jealous…or something?"

Merlin turned to face her, "Are you? Jealous, that is?"

She frowned, "I don't know. I've never really been jealous before," and it was true, they'd lived such a simple life in Ealdor, despite being mere peasants they hadn't felt like they wanted for anything. Even being in court didn't do it for her, she was simple at heart, she didn't need money or fancy dresses or large castles, she didn't covet it, so she never felt jealous of those who had it, "I'm not sure if that is the feeling. I just…she reminds me of what I felt with Nimueh. She's lying about something."

Merlin smiled, "Well, there you go. You weren't jealous of Nimueh, I don't think, and if you feel the same with Sophia as you did with her, then I don't think it's jealousy."

She smiled as well, "Thanks Merlin."

He gave her a half hug, "Not a problem," he glanced at the doors again, "Do you want me to go in with you?"

She shook her head, "I'll be fine," she glanced at him, "Why don't you check on Morgana? And if you see me in the stocks later, I personally invite you to throw fruit at me."

Merlin laughed, "No, that's quite alright. If you do end up in the stocks, I think I'd be the one chasing the villagers away. Sometimes they move onto potatoes."

She shook her head, nudging him till he started off down the hall and waited till he'd turned around the corner before facing the door again. She took a deep breath before entering.

~8~

"You," Uther acknowledged as Marayna stood waiting in the throne room, "Where's my son?" he would have expected her to have told him of his duties by now.

"I apologize, My Lord, but I haven't got the faintest idea," she bowed her head, "There may have been a bit of a mix-up on my part..."

"Where is he?" Uther asked again, his impatience growing.

"He's around somewhere, My Lord," Marayna tried hard to keep the small smile from growing on her face at how much she sounded like the Dragon, a smile that Uther noticed.

His eyes narrowed, realizing she was enjoying this banter, "Where. Is. Arthur?" he demanded now, quite put off by the lack of a straightforward answer.

She looked around the room that just held the two of them, "Clearly not here," she smirked, looking up at him innocently.

Uther had to stare at her a moment, honestly, did she want to be thrown in the dungeons for her insolence? He rolled his eyes, "I can see that," he countered, but...he couldn't help though, but feel a chuckle rising him. He quickly crushed it with his iron fist. Something about that girl…he just couldn't put his finger on it but...for some reason her banter almost amused him.

_Almost._

She must have been taking lessons from Morgana about how to push his buttons without completely angering him. Yes, that had to be the case.

"I couldn't remember if the patrol was meant to be in the morning or afternoon," she explained, "I was going to check with the guard, I planned to, I really did, but it just slipped my mind."

"It 'slipped your mind?'" Uther stared at her, a disbelieving tone in his voice. That...to be quite honest...didn't seem like her, not that he noticed what she was like. It was just...SHE was always the one he instructed with Arthur's duties, Lord knew her brother would never remember them.

"I'm sorry, My Lord, I was in a bit of a haste preparing for Lord Aulfric and Lady Sophia and got not much sleep, I fear my mind was elsewhere when you left me with Arthur's duties last night," she bowed her head, "Arthur would likely have been here if I'd managed to check with the guard."

Uther sighed and shook his head at her, "If this was a time of war, I would have you flogged."

She smirked, with almost a...knowing grin, as though she knew, despite his words, that would NEVER happen, "It's just too bad that it's not," she quipped, making him raise an eyebrow in not-amusement, "To the stocks then?"

He could not stop the laugh from escaping him this time and simply shook his head, walking out of the room, mumbling something to the guards. The next thing she knew, she was indeed locked in the stocks.

Oh well, she thought, better this than a flogging. But even at that thought, even as she was being locked into the wooden shackle of shame, she laughed. She doubted Uther would have her flogged after the Urry incident. Besides, it was high time she learned why her brother so loved to end up in the stocks.

~8~

In another part of the castle, Morgana stood at her window, watching as Arthur and Sophia snuck out of the courtyard. There was a knocking on the door, but she made no move to turn.

Gwen sighed and she went to open the door just a crack, enough to see Merlin standing on the other side. She glanced back at Morgana, the woman seemingly lost in thought as she stared out the window, before opening the door more and speaking in hushed tones, "She had another nightmare."

"I know," Merlin whispered back, seeing that Gwen was trying to not disturb Morgana.

"How?" Gwen frowned, confused. She hadn't said anything to anyone and she had been with Morgana since that morning and knew the older woman hadn't left since then.

"Uh…" Merlin began, at a loss, shifting uncomfortably. He doubted Morgana would want people to know that a man often spent the night in her rooms, "Gaius?" Gwen didn't seem to notice the question in his answer and just nodded, "Has she told _you_ what it's about?"

Gwen glanced over her shoulder before leaning in towards Merlin, "Morgana believes she dreamt the Lady Sophia, well, killing Arthur."

Merlin was disheartened for only a moment at the thought that Morgana had told Gwen her dream and not him, but when he realized that Gwen was her closest friend, one she had known since childhood, he felt better, if just a bit. At least she had someone to confide in, he only hoped one day to prove himself worth of her confidence.

The moment of disheartenment didn't last long as he realized just what Gwen had said, "What?"

Oh this was bad. This was very bad. If it wasn't bad enough that Arthur was being a right prat and flaunting his affection for Sophia when Merlin was certain it was Marayna he cared for, now he had to save the prat from said woman who wanted to kill him! To make matters worse, he would have to tell Marayna. When it came to people she cared about, come hell or high water, she would protect them. And she really was quite scary when she was angry.

Gwen sighed, drawing him out of his thoughts, "Morgana's had terrible nightmares before, but this one has her truly _scared_. And she can't tell Uther because…"

"He'll think it's magic," Merlin nodded.

"Is it?" Gwen whispered to him, careful to keep her voice very low. Given how Merlin and Marayna acted at times, they tried to keep their magic as secret as possible and not speak of it in the open like this. So she tried her best not to bring it up unless the moment really called for it. And this might be one of those times. She still didn't know much about magic, which was understandable given where they were.

Merlin sighed this time, "I don't know," he and Marayna knew that Morgana could see the future, the Dragon had mentioned it, but whether or not she actually HAD magic...that was another thing, and until he knew, he didn't want to say it to Gwen, incase she mentioned it to Morgana, "If it is, it's not something I know much about."

"It's just that…" Gwen paused, "Some of the dreams Morgana's told me of, well...they've come to pass."

He nodded to himself, "I'll ask Gaius about it."

"Thank you," Gwen whispered, before gently shutting the door and returning to her Lady's side.

~8~

Merlin couldn't help but laugh to himself as he helped his sister make her way to Gaius's chambers. He had left Morgana's room, deep in thought and ended up wandering around the castle until he heard cheering in the courtyard. He'd ventured down only to see that his sister had indeed landed herself in the stocks. He could admit he laughed a little at seeing her stuck there, her long hair having come out of a tie she'd tried to use and falling over her face, all of it littered with the remains of various fruits and vegetables, though his laughter died when he saw a few young boys throwing the dreaded potatoes at her.

He was about to stride up to them when one of the guards came down and released her from the stocks. Recalling how stiff his back had been after being locked in there, and how disoriented he felt from being pelted, he quickly made his way to her side and guided her back to the castle.

"Have you been playing with your food again?" Gaius asked, smirking as they entered the room.

"Uther sent me to the stocks," Marayna replied, walking over to a basin and combing her fingers through her hair in an effort to get the chunks of tomatoes and strings of lettuce out.

"What on earth did you do?" Gaius inquired, standing up, Uther was never one to put a woman in the stocks unless absolutely necessary

"Asked for it," she answered, grimacing at a chunk of particularly rotten tomato.

"Honestly, it wasn't her fault," Merlin added, "Arthur wanted to get out of going on patrol with Uther and the guard so Aya covered for him and took the blame."

"And Arthur was prepared to let you do this?" Gaius sounded utterly bewildered at that.

"Like he wasn't the one who asked us to lie in the first place," Marayna mumbled.

"Well, actually he asked _me_ to do it," Merlin corrected as he went to help his sister. It had been terrible getting the fruit out of his hair and hers was three times as long at least, "Aya was covering for me because I'm apparently a worse liar than she is."

"Well, what made him neglect his duties?" Gaius continued, shaking his head at the young prince's disregard for his responsibilities, Arthur had always been a very reliable boy, "It must've been something terribly important."

"Sophia," Marayna grumbled from beneath a curtain of hair.

"The girl from the forest?"

"Yes," Merlin confirmed, frowning as he thought on the humiliation his sister had to suffer just to protect the prince's secret, "He wanted to take her out for the day. He is besotted."

"But they've only just met!"

"We know!"

"Yes," Marayna mumbled quietly, "Love at first sight I guess."

"Yes, I suppose it must be," Gaius sighed.

Suddenly Marayna trembled, hunching over more by the basin, her one hand clutching her chest as the other grabbed the edge of the basin with white knuckles. She breathed heavily for a moment or two as the pinch she'd felt in her chest earlier came back twice as strong and lasted twice as long.

'_Are you alright?'_ Merlin asked her silently so as not to alert Gaius, who was lost in thought.

She took a few breaths before nodding, '_Fine._'

'_Aya what's going on?_' he was _really_ worried, this was the second time _he_ knew of where she was physically affected by the pinch. His mind wandered to a hundred causes for it that could mean bad news for his sister, from physical ailment to magic.

She simply shook her head, straightening and getting back to her hair as the pain passed, using it as a distraction. Whether it was her not wanting to talk about it or her way of saying she didn't know, he wasn't sure. But he made no comment. If it was something serious, she would tell him...wouldn't she?

~8~

About an hour later Morgana glared out the window as she spotted Arthur and Sophia returning from their ride. She could have sworn she saw red when the wench, as Morgana liked to think of her, kissed Arthur on the cheek. Arthur seemed rather dazed by the action, something Morgana found unnatural from Arthur when not directed at the retreating form of Marayna. Spinning quickly on her heel, Morgana strode out of the room determined to talk and/or smack some sense into the prince.

She flinched back when she reached the stairs and nearly ran into the wench who was making her way up.

"Sorry!" the girl exclaimed, her eyes widening in realization, "Lady Morgana isn't it? I'm Sophia," she held out her hand, but Morgana just glared at it.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded.

"My father and I are guests of the king..."

"You're lying," she stated quickly, no doubt at all in her voice, "I _know_ what you're going to do to him and I won't let it happen."

Sophia simply smirked as she gazed up at the noblewoman, "Does Arthur know you feel this way about him?" but she shook her head sorrowfully before Morgana could answer, "Of course he does. I suspect he's already turned you down."

Morgana set her jaw, "Don't think you can make a fool out of me."

"I don't have to. You're managing to do that well enough already."

"Stay away from him," Morgana threatened, not just for her but for Marayna as well. She would let _nothing_ keep that dream she'd had from before Marayna's arrival from coming to pass.

"Or what?" Sophia laughed, "Jealousy is_ such_ an unattractive trait in a woman."

Morgana smirked at that, confusing the younger woman, "Trust me, when it comes to Arthur's heart, it is not _me_ you have to worry about," Sophia opened her mouth to comment, but Morgana continued, her smirk turning into a glare, her words taking on a tone of promise, "If _anything_ happens to Arthur…I'll find you. However long it takes," she brushed past the woman and continued down the stairs to find Arthur.

Sophia glared at the woman before stomping up the stairs towards her room. She stormed down the hallway, nearly running into Marayna, who was carrying fresh linens for Arthur's room.

"Are you well my Lady?" Marayna asked, causing the woman to stop and glance over her shoulder at the servant, "You look a bit…blue."

Sophia's eyes widened at the knowing look on the girl's face. She knew the servant didn't know what she meant by the statement, but the look in her eyes promised that she would soon find out. She simply nodded and strode into her room, slamming the door behind her.

"You'd not been gone as long as I expected," Aulfric commented as his daughter walked into the room.

"We were interrupted," she answered, tensely.

"What happened?" he asked, concern in his voice, though if it was for her or for their mission neither knew.

"I was nearly _killed_," she shouted, spinning to face him. Indeed she nearly had been. She and Arthur had been shot at earlier when the guards thought they were bandits in the woods. She'd almost died from _an arrow_…had Arthur not pushed her out of the way, "For a moment I felt what it would be like to die a mortal death," she spat out as rage consumed her, "He saved me. Someone so weak, so feeble saved _me_. I can't bear to be like this a moment longer."

"You won't have to," her father reassured her, "Once his heart is yours, the gates of Avalon will open once again for us and we can regain our true form."

"I need a little more time," she replied, breathing more calmly, comforted by her father's words.

"You must hurry. The physician can see us for what we truly are."

"And he is not alone," she added in thought, "The Lady Morgana, she fears her powers, but that will not keep her quiet for long," she hesitated, "And the servant, Marayna, she knows we are not what we appear, but I am certain she knows not what…yet."

"Tomorrow you have to finish the enchantment otherwise our chance to rid us of these mortal shells will be lost forever," Aulfric decided as Sophia just nodded.

~8~

The next morning, Merlin and Marayna were just entering Arthur's chambers when Arthur walked out from his changing screen, fully dressed again.

"You're dressed," Merlin exclaimed, eyes nearly bugging out of his head. He'd thought the day before was just a pleasant mistake and that today he'd be back to having to dress the prince. It seemed not so.

"Nothing gets past you, does it, Merlin?" Arthur laughed, glancing at Marayna only for her to look away, making him frown.

Marayna sighed as she felt Arthur's eyes on her, she ran a hand through her hair, still feeling a bit of tomatoy substance lingering there and already knowing where the day would lead, but deciding to try her luck anyway, "Arthur, you need to wear this," she held up a decorated tunic, "Remember? There's a new knighting this morning?"

"I'm giving it a miss," he smiled.

"Won't the king mind?" Merlin brought up, moving to take the clothes from his sister so she could get to making the bed.

"Not if you cover for me again," Arthur nodded at him, "By the way, thanks for yesterday. I heard you ended up in the stocks. Bad luck."

Clearly he had only been told that one of his servants had ended up in the stocks and not that Marayna had. Merlin was about to correct him when he saw his sister shaking her head at him from the bed behind Arthur.

"They were throwing potatoes," she commented quietly, "It's only supposed to be rotten fruit," she had a rather nasty bruise on her arm from one particularly vicious throw.

"I'm not sure there are any hard and fast rules," Arthur glanced over his shoulder at her before focusing back on Merlin, "But if it's any consolation, I think it was worth it."

Merlin bit his tongue at going off on the prince about how his sister had been practically battered at his expense, but took a breath and said, "It went well?" instead.

"Great," Arthur breathed, a dreamy quality in his voice, "Fantastic. She's incredible."

Merlin nearly laughed at his sister mock gagging behind Arthur's back, but said nothing, "Don't worry then," he sighed, "_I'll_ find a way to get you out of it."

And he meant it, this time it would be_ him_ in the stocks.

"Just make sure you don't end up in the stocks this time," Arthur laughed, patting him on the back before leaving the room.

"_He_ won't," Marayna called after him, meaningfully, rounding on her brother with a warning finger, '_Don't even start Merlin.'_

'_Aya, you were in the stocks yesterday,_' he rolled his eyes, '_It's MY turn._'

'_And how many times were you in the stocks before I got here?_' she shot back. He was silent, '_That's what I thought. Besides, there's nothing to say I'll end up in the stocks again._'

~8~

Unfortunately for Marayna, Uther seemed to be getting some sort of sick pleasure out of condemning her to the stocks. She made the most out of it though, starting up a game with the children where she tried to catch the less rotten fruit in her mouth. Merlin had gone with her and wandered through the crowd that gathered to toss fruit at her, plucking the potatoes out of the hands of young boys who were about to peg her with it. An hour or two after he'd arrived the guard finally released her and Merlin helped her back to the castle, he scolded her on the way saying they were even now.

She had just laughed and negotiated, no more stocks for either of them.

"Not again, Rayna, surely" Gaius sighed as they entered his chambers, heading over to the basin and proceeding to pick the chunks of fruit out of her hair again.

"Seems like throwing fruit at the same person twice in a row won't ever get old," Marayna replied sarcastically.

"I heard that Arthur wasn't at the Knighting ceremony."

"Yes, he wanted to make the most of his time left with _Sophia_," Merlin sneered, wincing as he tugged on a strand of his sister's hair in an effort to get some sort of sticky substance off of it and made her wince.

"So you helped him?" Gaius looked at his niece, seeing her peer up at him through her hair.

"Arthur must be thrilled his servants are actually starting to do as he says," she shrugged, sighing a bit.

"You shouldn't have done that!" Gaius exclaimed, "I fear that Sophia may not be all that she seems."

"Why?" Merlin asked, finally giving up and muttering a quick "_Afeormian,_" as all the fruit and vegetables fell from Marayna's hair.

"What do you know about Seers?" Gaius answered with a question of his own.

"Probably as much as you think we know," Marayna stood, brushing a few fingers through her hair to comb it out, Merlin may have cleaned it but it was still tangled from the wind and fruit.

"So nothing then?" he joked.

"Sounds about right."

"They're supposed to be able to see the future, like prophets," Merlin supplied.

"It's said to be an innate ability," Gaius explained, "Those who have it are born that way. Some aren't even aware that what they see is the future, it comes to them in their dreams."

Merlin nodded to himself, that was Morgana alright.

"What, is Sophia a Seer too?" Marayna shook her head, not seeing what that had to do with anything.

"No, she's not," Gaius sighed, "But...the night before Sophia and Aulfric came to Camelot, _Morgana_ had a dream."

"Sophia was in it, wasn't she?" Merlin continued before glancing at his sister, realizing that Morgana must have told Gaius when she'd come to see him earlier, '_She saw Sophia kill Arthur._'

Marayna sighed,_ 'Don't his enemies ever get tired of trying to kill the same person?_'

"I've been watching Morgana since she was very young," Gaius added, reminding his niece and nephew that they hadn't quite told him they already knew about Morgana's visions, "And though I've tried to persuade myself otherwise, I realize that some of the things she said she dreamt...came to pass. I kept it secret from Uther, of course. The gift of prophecy is too close to the work of magic."

"Um, uncle...we actually know Morgana's a Seer already," Marayna brought up.

"It would certainly explain her dreams," Merlin muttered to her.

Gaius shook his head, not bothering to ask how they knew as there was a more pressing matter to see to at the moment, "Morgana said she dreamt that Sophia killed Arthur."

"Could that have just been a dream?" Merlin asked, nearly desperate, not wanting his sister to fear for Arthur, "Maybe the woman Morgana saw just _looked _like Sophia?"

"That's what I hoped, but Aulfric caught me in Sophia's room and, under a flash of anger, his eyes changed color."

"Who are they?" Merlin wondered out loud.

"_What_ are they?" Marayna mumbled quietly, thinking about the blue skin she kept seeing.

"It's not who or what they are that worries me," Gaius cut in, "It's what they want with Arthur."

"Ah!" Marayna doubled over suddenly, her hands clutching her chest as fierce pain shot through her. A brief image flashed across her mind of Arthur standing in the woods with Sophia, making her feel like she was standing right there beside him, watching as the girl's eyes glowed red, turning Arthur's red as well, the boy leaning down towards her, and...

...then she was back in Gaius's chambers, her brother at her side, coaxing her to sit down as Gaius examined her.

"What is it Marayna?" he asked, looking her over, but unable to see any exterior sign of harm.

"It's nothing," she bit out, the pain lessening just slightly, but still present.

"It's _not_ nothing," Merlin said sternly before turning to their uncle, "She's had this pain at least twice before, but never this bad."

"Why didn't you_ tell_ me?" Gaius demanded of her, handing her a potion. It wasn't much, just something to dull the pain as he wasn't sure where it was coming from.

Marayna downed it quickly, grimacing at the taste, "I didn't want to worry you."

"Do you know why this is happening?" Merlin looked at Gaius, who looked as troubled as Merlin felt.

Gaius shook his head, "How do you feel?" he turned to her, seeing her calming down slightly.

"Better," she answered, the pain was gone, but now it was more of a lingering, subtle throb in her chest. She sighed, "I don't know why it's happening..."

Gaius sighed, there was nothing he could really do till they knew what was happening and he doubted she would let him examine her till the danger had passed. With their luck, it would be something to do with magic and he'd not be able to help even more. He stood and looked at Merlin, "If this happens again, you tell me," he ordered.

Merlin nodded briefly before returning his attention to his sister and rubbing her back, trying to comfort her.

~8~

A couple hours later, just after dinner, Merlin had gotten word from Gwen that Arthur had returned from his day with Sophia. He was about to go out and check on the prince by himself but his sister would have none of that. It only took a quick 'I'm not an invalid Merlin' and her striding past him with purpose to get him trotting after her.

Marayna came to a sudden halt in the hallway, her brother nearly plowing in to the back of her and about to ask why she stopped, when a voice reached them.

"He's ready," they heard Sophia say. They leaned forward and peered around the corner to see Aulfric and Sophia talking outside her room, "Tomorrow he'll do what we need him to."

"Good, you have done well," Aulfric smiled proudly at his daughter, before walking off down the hall, "I must go to the elders."

Sophia nodded and returned to her room. As soon as the door was shut behind her, Merlin and Marayna bolted down the hall after Aulfric. They managed to catch up to him and follow him through the forests until he came to a lake. How they managed to do so in the dark, in a forest, without tripping or getting hit by branches and other things was unknown to them. They pressed themselves against a tree, looking around either side of it to observe him just standing there.

'_What's he doing?_' Marayna asked.

'_No idea,_' Merlin replied.

Their questions were answered soon enough as Aulfric began to shout into the wind, "I seek an audience with the Sidhe Elders," he lifted his staff before chanting, "_Dotiag-sa ar idbairt do denam__!_"

All of a sudden, a handful of blue lights shot out of the water and began buzzing around the air.

'_I can't make it out,_' Merlin commented, his gaze shooting this way and that trying to catch a glimpse of the lights.

Marayna frowned and focused on the scene before her, trying to take a leaf out of her brother's book as her eyes flashed gold. A few moments later, everything seemed to slow down, the wind, the ripples of the water, and more importantly, the lights which they could now see were blue fairy-like creatures.

'_Merlin look!_' she whispered in awe, drawing his attention to a beautiful city they could make out in the water instead.

"I come before you to plead for the chance to win passage back to Avalon and a life of immortality!" they heard Aulfric call, drawing their attention back to the man.

One of the fairies flitted down before him, "Your punishment for killing another Sidhe is a mortal body and a mortal life," he reminded the older man, "You will never be able to return to Avalon!"

"The crime was _mine_, not my daughter's," Aulfric nearly begged.

"The gates of Avalon remain closed to your daughter," the fairy spat coldly, "Unless the soul of a mortal prince be offered up to them."

"Thank you," Aulfric smiled, "An immortal life for my daughter is all that I desire. So, I promise you the soul of the greatest prince of all, Arthur Pendragon!"

Merlin heard his sister gasp and looked down to see her staring, horrified, at the older man, at least two shades paler.

'_Breathe!_' he commanded when he noticed that she didn't seem to be breathing.

She took a deep breath and looked up at her brother. She didn't need to say anything at all for him to understand. Her fear, her anger, her shock, her desperation, her worry, and her hopelessness...he could see it all reflected in her look. He had no idea when Arthur had become so important to her that she actually felt scared to know others were out for his life, though he could guess it was after Richard had left, he HAD noticed a small shift between her and Arthur, like a new understanding and appreciation for the other had been reached. When they had thought Sophia and Aulfric mere mortals out for his life, perhaps with a bit of magic, that was one thing. To find out they were another species, one they knew next to nothing about, that was more worrying.

'_We'll save him Aya,_' he assured, reaching out to grab her hand, '_I promise._'

'_Merlin!_' she gasped, pulling him over the side of the tree just as Aulfric turned. Merlin held his sister tight, both pressed against the tree hoping they hadn't been caught. Marayna glanced around the trunk to see that Aulfric had turned back to the lake for only a moment before squeezing Merlin's hand and pulling him away, half-dragging him back to the castle.

~8~

They burst into Gaius's chambers just as the sun had started to rise, seeing Gwen falling asleep on a cot and Gaius sitting awake by his books. However, the slamming of the door against the wall seemed to shake Gwen awake as she shot up, looking around, confused for a moment, before calming as she saw it was just them. They had requested Gwen stay with Gaius after she told them Arthur returned for fear of her safety.

They quickly set about telling Gaius everything that had happened, everything they saw and heard, hoping he might be able to shed some light on the rather confusing events.

Gaius just stared at them in shock for most of it though, "Avalon," he breathed, "What you saw at the lake, it's Avalon, it must be."

"And Avalon is..." Marayna asked, shaking her head, she felt like she'd heard of it before, but couldn't recall where.

"The land of eternal youth. Mortals are only supposed to glimpse it the moment before death."

"Well, we've seen it and we're still here," Merlin held out his arms in proof.

"You saw it?" Gwen's eyes widened, as a little girl she'd heard stories of Avalon. It was said to be just...beautiful, the most magnificent sight. It was meant to be that way to welcome those who died, to make them feel comfortable and awed instead of frightened and in pain. There probably wasn't a soul in Camelot who didn't wonder what the place looked like.

"What does it look like?" Gaius inquired, looking wistful and confirming Gwen's thoughts.

"Does it matter?" Merlin stared at him incredulously.

"It looks like the place where Arthur will be sacrificed!" Marayna nearly yelled.

"We don't even know who they are yet."

"We do now," Gaius nodded, signaling Gwen to bring over one of his books. She did so, holding it open for him to search through, "I found writing like this on top of Aulfric's staff. It's an ancient script, it means 'to hold life and death in your hands.' And the writing on his staff and what you saw at the lake, I'm afraid I'm now certain. We're dealing with a Sidhe."

"That doesn't sound like a good thing," Merlin commented.

"They're masters of enchantment," Marayna uttered, reading that excerpt from the book over her uncle's shoulder, as though it explained everything. She didn't know whether to be relieved that Arthur was just enchanted and not really in love with Sophia...or terrified that he was enchanted to be in love with Sophia.

"You think Arthur's been enchanted?" Gwen frowned, looking up at them. The book was written in an old language she couldn't read, but apparently they could. It would explain quite a few things though, like Arthur's sudden interest in Sophia when he'd been besotted with Marayna what felt like only moments before.

"Oh, most certainly," Gaius nodded, before sighing, "I'm afraid Morgana's dream is coming true."

~8~

Midday Gaius, Marayna, and Merlin had been called to court by Arthur and arrived to see the prince standing before the king with Sophia at his side. They quietly made their way to their typical spot, by the wall near the throne, to watch the proceedings.

"I requested this audience, father, to discuss a matter of great importance," Arthur began, his head held high, "It cannot have escaped your attention that I and Lady Sophia Tia Moor have grown very close."

"Not too close, I hope," Uther mumbled and Marayna almost snorted at that, even Uther didn't like the girl...but then again that wasn't saying much as Uther didn't particularly like anyone really.

"We're in love," Arthur stated firmly, glaring slightly at his father for insulting the woman who apparently held his heart, "Which is why I come before you today…to ask your permission to marry."

Marayna's heart stopped, her blood froze, her breathing stilled…her brother took her hand in his, squeezing it reassuringly. She glanced at him, snapping out of it and smiling gratefully at him for it. She nodded, she was fine, and turned her attention back to the goings-on only to notice that Uther was laughing.

"I assume you're joking," the king smiled.

"No," Arthur shook his head, "I'm _going_ to marry her."

This time it hurt much less to hear that said. Marayna swallowed hard but held her head up high, her jaw set, eyes gazing across the room at the wall, her face an unreadable mask. She_ couldn't_ be affected by this, not openly. If anyone looked at her and saw her that devastated or weepy or whatever it was that women were when something like that happened, they'd realize her feelings for Arthur, and that was the LAST thing she wanted. She rather liked her head on her neck thank you.

"You only met two days ago," Uther scoffed, sounding as though the entire thing was ridiculous, which it really was.

"We're in love," Arthur stated matter-of-factly, no doubt at all in his voice.

"In love," Uther sneered, not believing a word his son was saying, he turned to Morgana who sat next to him, "We had no idea that you were such the romantic, had we Morgana?"

Morgana, who had been focused on Marayna, shook out of her thoughts and glanced at the king for only a moment before looking back at her friend, and murmuring, "No, he's full of surprises."

Uther, noticing his ward's gaze, turned to glance at the young servant as well. She was standing there, back straight, shoulders back, head high, as proud looking as if she were noble. His brow furrowed minutely as he looked upon her, he wondered if his son even knew the pains she had gone through for him, if he saw the pain he was putting the young woman through just by standing there pledging himself to another. He was not blind, nor was he suffering a mental affliction. He could tell that the girl cared for his son a great deal and that she was hurt enormously by this entire thing. Even if nothing could come of it, he could still see she was affected by it. Not that he blamed her, he had been quite the rugged youth, charming, had many women falling in love with him, it seemed Arthur had inherited the same charm. He did want that for his son though, he wanted for the people in general to love him and to be able to welcome him as their king when the time came.

He shook his head slightly as he was hit by a similar notion to when he'd spoken with the girl after she'd helped protect Aurora from Sir Urry...seeing her standing there, so proud, sad, but _proud_, he couldn't help but think that she would have made a fine queen if she'd been born of a different station.

"I'm going to marry her," Arthur's voice drew him back to the matter at hand, "I don't care what either of you think about it."

"I thought you'd come to ask my _permission_," Uther uttered tersely, his fist clenching unconsciously.

"Out of courtesy, nothing more," Arthur stated, before taking Sophia's hand and turning to leave.

"Guards, door," Uther ordered calmly, sounding more as though he were talking about the weather than locking his son in. There was something about the proud, smug look Sophia was wearing that rubbed him the wrong way. He stood from his throne and took a step towards his son, "You've forgotten whose court you're standing in."

"You can't stop me," Arthur declared, challenge in his voice, "If I want to marry her, I _will_."

Uther nodded, oh he couldn't stop him could he? Never challenge a Pendragon. He glanced at the guards once more, nonchalantly giving the order, "Arrest Sophia and Aulfric Tia Moor."

"What are you doing?!" Arthur demanded, dropping his hold on Sophia's arm and striding to his father.

Uther turned to his son, his expression hardening, "And inform the executioner his services will be required tomorrow morning."

"You can't do this!"

"Yes I can and, unless you show me some respect, I _will_," Uther replied emotionlessly. It would not matter to him in the slightest if the girl and her father died, while nobles they were of a minor class and with their home sacked, it wasn't like a war would start.

Marayna sighed at that, no matter how little she cared for Sophia or her father...it didn't sit right with her to hear Uther talking so easily about executing them for 'falling in love' with Arthur. Had it been because he knew Sophia was truly a Sidhe and plotting to murder his son, THEN she'd be perfectly fine with all that talk.

Arthur glared at him a moment, trying in vain to stare him down, but found he could not. Instead, he bowed his head in submission.

Uther nodded to himself, "Release them," he called out, looking behind Arthur for a moment before gazing at him sternly, "You've got your whole life ahead of you. Sophia is, no doubt, your first love..."

Arthur felt a little pang in his chest and couldn't shake the feeling that...that was wrong. His father was wrong. Sophia wasn't his fir…but the thought was soon lost somewhere in his mind.

"But she certainly won't be the _only_ one," he heard Uther continue, "Enjoy yourself while you can."

~8~

Morgana had rushed off to try and talk some sense into Uther, try to stress the importance of the situation and in keeping Arthur and Sophia truly separated. It was clear that she was upset, which only served to upset Merlin as well. Marayna took a breath, watching as Arthur left the room with Sophia before she turned to her brother, "Go after her," she whispered to him, "I'll keep an eye on Arthur."

"Aya…" Merlin began, but she cut him off.

"I'm_ just_ going to watch," she rolled her eyes with a smile, "If he does anything, I'll come find you. Yeah?"

Merlin glanced up at the door that Morgana and the king had disappeared through before nodding and quickly walking out of the room.

"You're not going to do nothing are you," Gaius remarked, more of a statement than a question. He knew his niece all too well. He suspected Merlin knew this too, but was hoping Marayna could take care of herself long enough for him to check on Morgana.

"No, I'm not," she answered, turning to smile at her uncle, squeezing his hand before quietly leaving the hall and making her way to follow Arthur. Unfortunately he disappeared into Sophia's room. So Marayna stood in the hall, prepared to hide behind a tapestry should Arthur leave so she could follow him again.

~8~

Marayna hesitated in the doorway for a moment as she observed Arthur, dressed in his armor and packing away a few clothes and possessions. She had seen him leave Sophia's room a few moments ago and hid until she heard him enter his room. She ran to his door and could hear metal rattling around, a sure sign he was putting on his armor and by himself no less. In any other situation she would have been shocked, but now was not the time (though she was determined to point that out next time Arthur wanted her or Merlin to dress him in it). She took a breath before stepping into the room.

Hearing the door creak shut, Arthur glanced up, his happy smile at the thought of it being Sophia fell into a glare when he saw it was just Marayna, "Get out," he snapped.

"I'm sorry the king wanted to murder your fiancé," she commented bluntly though smiling tentatively as she walked up to him. She knew how angry Arthur could get, especially now that he was basically being controlled by someone else…she didn't want to say she feared him. She didn't, but she DID feel a bit wary about what could happen. He clearly wasn't himself at the moment.

"I don't need sympathy Marayna," he spat, not noticing her flinch at the use of her full name. He never used her full name unless he was teasing her. It sounded wrong to hear him use it in such a tone...and that made her wonder when exactly did she get so used to hearing him call her 'Mara?' "And especially not from _you_."

"You've got to admit he has a point though," she stated, squaring her shoulders and glaring at him as well. Controlled or not, he was being a right prick at the moment and she wasn't going to let him keep at it.

"I ordered you to get out, now leave me," he demanded, continuing his packing.

"Yes, because I'm oh-so good at following orders," she remarked dryly, before she sighed, "Look, I get that you think you're in love with Sophia and that you think the best option is to marry her..."

"Who are you to tell me what I'm thinking?" he nearly shouted at her.

"I would like to think I'm your friend when you're not being a royal prat," she stared him down. She had a whole repertoire of FAR more sarcastic comebacks about who she could be to order him around, but now was not the time for that, she was certain.

"No, you're just my _servant_," he sneered, glaring at her with hate, as though it would be enough to scare her away.

She crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow, "Your glares don't scare _me_ Arthur."

"How dare you address me so informally?" he raged at her, stopping in his packing and standing at full height.

Marayna set her jaw and strode up to him, "How dare you address me as Mara when my name is Marayna," she countered, poking him in the chest, forcing him to take a few steps back as well, "You think you love Sophia fine. But I am telling you right now Arthur it's nothing more than an enchantment."

"I told you people would try to keep us apart," a voice said behind her, making Marayna stiffen and turn slightly to see Sophia and Aulfric entering the room.

"I know," Arthur replied softly as he gazed at her, before hardening, "I _won't_ let that happen."

"Since when do YOU actually listen to anyone?" Marayna rounded to face him again, putting her back to her enemy which she was sure was a very stupid thing to do which she would probably get lectured by Gaius about later when it came back to bite her, but right now she couldn't care less, "Oh gee, I don't now, maybe when you're being controlled!"

"We can elope together," Sophia murmured, smiling at Arthur, "Get away from this place, these people."

"You mean these HUMANS," Marayna turned on them, anger clearly evident in her voice, "We saw you, Merlin and I, we followed father dearest to the lake. We saw your little meeting," she sneered at Aulfric, before looking at Arthur again, "They're planning on sacrificing you Arthur."

Aulfric glared at her, "Do you let your _servants _talk to your _guests _this way?"

"Oh please," Marayna scoffed, "You're hardly guests when you're an inch away from the executioner's block," she was fairly certain this too would come back to bite her severely, speaking so to a noble, even one of a minor station, but when she really got going she tended to care even less than she normally did about what she said around others, "Merlin and I heard everything you said," she told Aulfric, before turning to Arthur, a desperation she had never before felt shining in her eyes, "Arthur..._please_ believe me," she felt her hope rise as Arthur stared at her, the fog in his eyes clearing minutely.

"_Don't_ listen to them, Arthur," Sophia's voice called to him and Marayna could see the dazedness setting in again, "Let's go, let's leave tonight."

"She'll kill you," she whispered, reaching out to grasp his arm. Arthur looked down at her hand but made no move to slap it away, which she took as a good sign, "She'll kill you in a heartbeat so she can be immortal again. You leave with her, you WILL die."

"It doesn't make sense," Arthur shook his head, looking around, almost seeming confused, as though he were waking from a dream or something, "We're in love."

"They're using magic," Marayna insisted, realizing she was starting to break through to him. She turned to the enemy, "The writing on Aulfric's staff is like an incantation..." she made a move to grab it out of Aulfric's hand but he pulled back, his eyes turning red. Marayna's eyes widened, nearly laughing at the proof, "Do you see his eyes?" she asked, her gaze on Aulfric's still red eyes, "Arthur? Do you see them? Do you believe me? Arthur..." she turned to look at him...only to see Arthur glaring at her, his own eyes red as blood.

"I see everything," he answered before taking a step towards her, "You want to stop me and Sophia being together!"

Marayna tried to side step him and grab the staff, thinking perhaps if she could break it it would also break the enchantment...but Arthur reached out and grabbed her arm in a bruising hold, slamming her into the wall behind him to stop her. She struggled in his hold, fighting against him as his hands move to her shoulders for leverage and control. It only made her fight harder and, just when she thought it couldn't possibly get worse...she felt Arthur's hands wrap around her neck.

"Arthur!" she gasped before she felt her air being cut off. She struggled and squirmed, trying to break free. She _never_ thought this would happen, enchantment or not, she hadn't ever thought Arthur would do this...

But this wasn't Arthur was it? It was the Arthur Sophia was controlling, and Sophia clearly wanted her out of the picture rather badly. Perhaps she should have waited for Merlin.

Black spots started to dance around her vision as she felt herself become more and more light-headed, "Please," she whispered, just realizing that tears were beginning to fall from her eyes.

A moment later, the world went black...

~8~

Gaius was pacing around his chambers as Merlin sat watching him. He'd just come from Morgana's room. She had complained to the king and nearly revealed her secret about her dream, but stopped at the last moment before storming off to her rooms. Merlin had followed after her and spent a while trying to calm her down. The sun was just starting to set when he returned to the physician's chambers to wait for his sister. He truly hoped she was in fact just keeping an eye on Arthur and not slapping him around a bit to try and knock some sense into him. He wouldn't put it past her. It was now evening, the sun had set and all was dark. When suddenly Morgana ran into the room, tears in her eyes.

"Morgana!" Merlin shot up from his seat and made his way over to her.

"He's gone!" she cried, "Arthur's gone with her. She's taken him!"

Merlin, realizing that something horrible must have happened to his sister for her not to alert him to this herself, ran out of the room. The last thing he heard was Gaius telling Morgana to slow down and explain but he couldn't think on that. As much as he wanted to be in there with Morgana, soothing her himself, his _sister_ was out there, possibly in danger and he needed to find her. His first thought was to run to the stables, he didn't know if Arthur had left by horse, and if he had, his sister might be there as well trying to get another ready to go after her. But when he saw nothing of her, he realized she must still be in Arthur's room.

He raced back to the castle, slamming open the prince's door...only to see his sister lying crumpled on the floor, unconscious...and unmoving.

"Aya!" he cried, rushing to her side and grabbing her shoulders to shake her, his jostling slowly waking her up.

"Good heavens!" another voice gasped. Merlin glanced over his shoulder to see Gaius standing in the doorway for only a moment before he made his way to Marayna's other side, "What happened to you?" he asked Marayna calmly, trying to look her over. She blearily opened her eyes and, upon seeing her brother and uncle, reached up to push some of her hair over her shoulder to hang in front of her. Merlin stared at her for a moment, confused by her actions when she spoke.

"A…Aulfric," she answered, not looking her brother in the eye as she sat up on her elbows and looked around, "Where's Arthur?" but, seeing the look on her brother's face, she realized what happened, "We need to stop him!" she tried to sit up more when a strange sound filtered through her ears, "Is there a bee buzzing in here?"

"Careful!" Merlin exclaimed as she tried to get up, reaching down to help her slowly stand.

"You can barely stand up!" Gaius commented, helping her as well.

"We NEED to stop him," she insisted, looking to her brother meaningfully.

"You can't, not in this state. You owe it to your powers, that you survived this at all!" he gave her a pointed, serious look.

"I'm fine," she waved him off, looking away and hoping Gaius wouldn't say more about what he thought happened, before turning to her brother, "Sophia's got control of him. We need to help him!"

"Has that buzzing stopped?" Gaius deadpanned.

"Just about," she lied through her teeth, wincing as her uncle felt behind her head at the bump from being slammed against the wall.

"Liar."

"We have to go Gaius," Merlin cut in, realizing the seriousness of the situation now that his sister was ok, "He'll die if we don't."

Gaius looked between the two, knowing that he could trust Merlin to take care of her, but _not_ happy about her going out injured, "The Sidhe are a vicious people, you must be careful."

"Don't you trust us uncle?" Marayna smiled, moving to walk towards the doors but ending up stumbling more towards the windows, though Merlin's hold on her arm stopped her.

"This way," he whispered softly, pulling her towards the door.

"Right," Marayna winced, her voice starting to get a bit sore, and knowing Gaius was sighing and shaking his head as he watched them go.

~8~

Marayna sighed in relief as she felt her head clearing up while she ran with her brother to the lake. They arrived just within sight of it in time to see Sophia push Arthur into the lake.

"Ahh!" Marayna groaned, crumpling to the forest floor, desperately clutching her chest. The pain was nearly unbearable! It was just...shooting through her with every beat of her heart. It felt like she couldn't breath, her head was exploding in pain, and her entire body was tingly and not in a good way. Her vision was starting to blur and she knew it had nothing to do with what she'd endured at Arthur's hands.

"Aya!" Merlin shouted, kneeling beside her, terrified. She was breathing heavily, gasping for breath, tears were streaming from her eyes and she was shaking terribly, "What's wrong?"

"The…enchantment," she whimpered, scrunching her eyes as another wave of pain hit her, "When…she enchants him…it hurts!" she wasn't sure if it was entirely right but it was the only thing that made sense to her in her head. She got the feeling that all the little pinches had been Sophia's attempts to enchant him, the worse the pain the stronger and more complete the enchantment became.

Seeing that her brother wasn't going to realize Arthur was currently drowning in the lake as they spoke, she quickly grabbed his hand, "Save Arthur!"

"But…" he began, but she shook her head furiously.

"Stop Sophia and it'll stop!"

Realizing what she was saying, Merlin quickly stood and turned to face the lake. Seeing Sophia's own staff laying on the ground he quickly called out, "_Onbregdan__!_"

The staff flew to his hand and he tucked it under his arm, pointing it at Aulfric's back, "_Swilte, gold beor__!_"

A moment later, Aulfric exploded as the light and magic from the staff struck him, drawing Sophia's attention, "Father!" she cried, abandoning her spot in the water to make her way to her father's remains.

Merlin turned the staff on her, "_Acwele__!_" and dropped it the moment Sophia was taken care of as well, before he turned to his sister. She seemed to be breathing easier and was sitting straighter as though a vice had been removed from her heart.

"Ay…" he began.

"Arthur!" she just pointed to the water.

Realizing Arthur had been under for a good minute now, Merlin ran to the lake side as his sister began to rise, and jumped in, "Arthur!" he shouted, splashing around, trying to find the prince. When he couldn't he dove under the water.

Marayna collapsed to her knees on the edge of the lake just as her brother burst from the water, Arthur clutched in his arms. He began to drag the boy to the shore, his sister crawling towards the water to help him.

"Are you alright?" she asked shakily.

Merlin nearly laughed, "Am _I_ alright?! Are _you_ alright?" she nodded for a moment before she found herself crushed in her brother's arms, "If something is _ever_ wrong again, you tell me," he commanded softly. She could only nod and snuggle into her brother's embrace, enjoying the moment before they would have to drag the boy back to the castle.

~8~

The next morning Arthur groaned as he moved on his bed. Gaius, Merlin, and Marayna looked at each other for a moment before Arthur began to really wake up.

"Arthur?" Marayna asked softly.

"What happened?" he mumbled, blearily opening his eyes, "Where am I?"

"Can you remember anything?" Merlin inquired.

"Uh…oh, my head…there was a girl," he rubbed his head, "Sophia…she…I asked my father something about her, I asked him…" he trailed off before shooting up a moment later, "What was I_ thinking_? "

Gaius, Merlin, and Marayna looked at each other, smirking.

"Well, love does make fools of us," Marayna began.

"Which was proven when you eloped with her last night," Merlin finished.

"I did _what?!_" Arthur stared at them, horrified. He couldn't stop his glance from drifting over to see Marayna sitting there, her hair falling in waves over her shoulder, but she seemed to be determined to look anywhere _but_ at him, which only served to make a pit of guilt fall into his stomach.

"Merlin and Rayna had to bring you back to Camelot," Gaius commented, patting his niece and nephew on the back from where he stood behind them, the two of them on small stools at Arthur's bedside.

"I don't recall any of this!" Arthur shouted, focusing on his outrage rather than his guilt.

"Must've been some blow," Gaius remarked, more to himself than anyone, but Arthur heard him.

"What. Blow?" Arthur demanded through clenched teeth.

"Well, when we caught up with you," Merlin began.

"We couldn't talk you round into coming back," Marayna nodded.

"You were beyond reason."

"So, we had had to force you to."

"Well, Aya did," Merlin grinned, glancing at his sister as though sharing some sort of inside joke.

Arthur would have shuddered at their speaking in turn, it was creepy when they did that, rare though it was, but he was far too horrified at the notion that he had been knocked out, and by a girl no less. He turned his glare to Marayna, "_You_ managed to knock _me_ out?"

"Quite easily actually," she smiled at him, "The might Prince Arthur...taken down by a mere branch," she added after a moment.

It wasn't bad enough to be knocked out by a girl, but by an unarmed one as well!

"She only did it to bring you back safely," Gaius frowned, as though he were worried for his niece.

"_No one_ can know about this," Arthur ordered, pointing a finger at them, "_Any _of it. Is that understood?" they just nodded as he fell back onto the pillows.

Marayna glanced at her brother, '_Told you so,_' she whispered to him.

'_Yes you did_,' he agreed with a smile.

Before Arthur woke up Gaius had proposed the knock out story and they just had to decide who knocked him out. Merlin had argued that he should knock him out, he was a man after all and Arthur always wanted to think he was better than all men. But Marayna had insisted he would be more put off by being knocked out by a woman, she was right.

~8~

"When you failed to show up for patrol this morning," Uther began as he stood before Arthur in the Main Hall that afternoon, Marayna and Merlin standing just slightly off to the side, smirking as they watched Arthur squirm as much as Arthur could squirm before his father, "I feared you'd eloped with Sophia in a fit of passion."

"I wish he had," Merlin began, "Because then we wouldn't be stood in front of you feeling like idiots…again."

Uther strode up to them calmly, stopping before Marayna, "This is becoming a near daily occurrence for you," he commented.

Arthur narrowed his eyes at that, what were they talking about?

"Well I do so love your Majesty's company," Marayna quipped.

Arthur's eyes nearly bugged out of his head, did she want to be executed?! But shocked as he was at that, he was even more shocked when Uther actually gave the smallest of chuckles and shook his head.

"Could somebody tell me what happened?" he asked, turning to face Arthur expectantly.

"Umm…" Merlin began, clearly shocked at the king's reaction as well.

"Somebody with a brain," Uther commented, remembering Merlin's previous attempts at recalling things.

"After Sophia left, I wanted to take my mind off her," Arthur explained, "So I went for a hunt."

"And killing things mends a broken heart?" Morgana asked dubiously.

"No, but it's good fun," Arthur rolled his eyes, "Merlin was meant to inform you that I wouldn't be back till later today."

Uther turned to Merlin, the boy had said no such thing, "Have you some kind of mental affliction?"

"Probably," he admitted, smiling.

"I'm looking into it sire," Gaius chuckled.

"Well I hope for our sake you find a cure," he glanced at Marayna, recalling the last few days for her and what he knew of Merlin's first few, "Between the two of you, we'll find ourselves with a food shortage on our hands."

"The two of them?" Arthur asked out loud, looking between the two in confusion.

Marayna looked away, but Merlin, upon seeing his sister's reluctance, spoke up, "Marayna's been in the stocks the last two days."

"In the stocks?" Arthur's eyes widened, why was _she_ in the stocks, hadn't he asked _Merlin _to lie to his father?

As though sensing his thoughts, Marayna turned to face Arthur, no smile on her face for him, which made his stomach drop, and cleared her throat before speaking, "I couldn't let Merlin have all the fun."

It was then that Arthur realized...all the time he'd been sneaking off with Sophia, asking Merlin to cover, it had been _Marayna_ to take the fall. Why did that make him feel more guilty than if it had been Merlin?

"Actually, father," Arthur began, turning to his father, "I'm not entirely sure I told Merlin where I was going. I was rather distraught."

Uther smirked secretively at that, seeing what his son was trying to do. He knew his son had asked his servants to lie for him and he also knew Arthur assumed it was Merlin ending up in the stocks and not the other one. Perhaps this one time, he could overlook this. He nodded simply, earning a smile from Arthur, who turned his attention to Marayna, yet the girl hadn't smiled at the prince at all.

Interesting.

He wondered what his son could have done to anger her so, other than trying to run off and marry another woman. To be young and in love, he thought. He just shook his head. His son had gotten himself into this mess, he could get himself out. And with that, the king walked out of the hall, leaving his son to sort out his affairs.

~8~

Merlin and Marayna sat in Gaius's chambers quietly discussing the affect that Sophia's enchantment had had on Marayna. Gaius had determined that, as Marayna and Arthur were to marry, as it was apparently her destiny, that perhaps her magic was reacting to that threat against it and caused the 'pinch' whenever she tried to enchant him. Marayna had just rolled her eyes and let her head fall to the table, muttering about how it was bad enough to have to marry the prat, now she'd be stuck with heart attacks whenever he was enchanted? Given how often magic seemed to be used against Camelot she doubted this would be the last time someone tried to win his affections through magic.

"Morgana!" Gaius called, seeing the young woman enter his room as he stood and made his way over to her.

"I've...had some troubled nights," she explained hesitantly, he gaze on Merlin and Merlin's on her.

"I've prepared another draught for you," Gaius nodded, picking up another vial, "Have the dreams stopped?"

Morgana shook her head, before turning to face Marayna, "Arthur told me what actually happened," she smiled a bit, "You must have hit him round the head really hard."

"Had to in order to get through that thick skull fo his," she smirked, swallowing hard. Even if she hadn't actually knocked him out, she was sure that it WOULD take a rather large blow to do it.

"Here you are," Gaius handed her the vial, "Remember, every night just before you go to sleep."

"Thank you Gaius," Morgana nodded, glancing back at Merlin before leaving the room.

As soon as the door was shut, Gaius turned to the siblings, "She must _never_ find out the truth."

"Why?" Marayna shook her head, "Her dream helped save Arthur and if she's a Seer her visions might be able to help protect Camelot even more!"

"And it could have cost her her own to do so. If Uther ever found out, things would never be the same again. It must remain a secret."

"Is she like us?" Merlin wondered, staring at the door Morgana had left through, "Can she use magic?"

"No one's like you," Gaius stated sadly. Most of those who were born with a talent for magic developed it later in life, with it usually appearing when just entering adulthood, but for Merlin and Marayna...it had been there since they were babies.

Merlin just stood and made his way to the door, no one needed to ask where he was going, even Gaius had worked it out. He may be an old man, but he wasn't a scholar for nothing, and Merlin really was not all that subtle was he?

Gaius waited a few moments before turning to his niece to see her subtly rubbing her neck, more so her throat, "See me tomorrow," he ordered her, "I'll prepare you a draught to help."

She nodded in understanding, getting up to head to her chambers as Gaius prepared for sleep himself.

~8~

Meanwhile, in another part of the castle. Merlin held a crying Morgana to his chest. He had just entered her room when she turned and ran to him, mumbling into his chest about how sorry she was that she hadn't told him about her dream. She knew he would try to help Arthur, but...she sobbed at that part...she was selfish. She didn't want Merlin to die as well…she didn't want Merlin to die instead.

That scared her more than words could describe.

Merlin managed to calm her, holding her close as he led her to the bed and laid her down, taking a seat beside her bed this time. He handed her the draught and explained that he understood, but then grinned his goofy grin and promised she would never lose him. Merlin's grin was the last thing she saw as she fell asleep. She loved that grin.

Merlin sighed, tired after the day's events, and fell asleep in a chair next to her bed. He didn't even stir when Morgana jumped awake from another nightmare.

A/N: I can say now, we WILL see the episodes where Arthur is enchanted or expected to find a wife...just imagine the oodles of fun Marayna will have with them }:) I can also say that there's more to Arthur's beginning interest in Sophia that we'll see more of in the next chapter, along with the fallout from this one, especially what Arthur did to Marayna }:) We'll also see Marayna's true thoughts on everything that happened here :)

Also, quick note to anyone who reads my 'An Ancient Observer' story, it won't be updated today. My one cousin came to visit yesterday and stay the night for a job interview and I wasn't able to finish editing that chapter, I also still have a tiny bit more to write for it. But it should be updated tomorrow or Friday the latest :)

Some notes on reviews...

I'm glad you all enjoyed Arthur last chapter :) I can say we'll see jealous/protective Arthur popping up again ;)

Lol, I thought Zeus was fitting :) It's hard to find someone worse than him in that sort of thing :)

Thanks :) I'm glad you're enjoying the story :) I try my best to keep the characters as in character as I can and if they go OOC to try and have a logical reason behind it, along with adding descriptions and thoughts so that it's not just the transcript all over again with a different character in :)

I definitely try to update my main stories daily :) As for Aurora, I can say we might just see her again, but I won't say when or who might be with her ;)


	12. Making Amends

Making Amends

Marayna sighed as she made her way around Arthur's room, just trying to straighten it up. It was, surprisingly, rather clean compared to the horrendous mess Arthur had usually left it as when she'd first met him...and for her, one half of the two messiest villagers in Ealdor, to complain that it was a mess, well, it was that bad. She looked up from her tidying when Gwen came in carrying Arthur's red jacket that he'd put on just that morning.

"I passed Arthur in the hall," she explained, "He said it was too warm and requested I bring this back here."

Marayna smiled and nodded, returning to her work, which did give Gwen pause as the girl was usually one to give a verbal thanks instead of just a nod. Merlin was running errands for Gaius and Arthur had training with the knights today so Marayna felt she ought to make herself useful and get ahead of her chores, maybe end up with some spare time later to study more of the magic book. She'd noticed a distinct difference in the types of spells she was starting to read on and the ones Merlin found interesting. They each marked the pages of spells they thought were interesting or useful, hers were a small fold on the bottom corner while his were on the top corner. She'd found, through skimming through the book, that Merlin tended to mark the ones that were more shielding and protective, guiding lights and stopping attacks. Hers, on the other hand, were more like attacks, sending out pulses of wind, making fireballs, summoning lightning, more the ones to counterattack. It was interesting how different they were for being so close, but it was understandable as well, she had always been the one more likely to fight back while Merlin was the one who tried to make peace and avoid the fighting.

Gwen laughed though, "Taking a leaf out of Merlin's book?" she asked, nodding to Marayna's neck.

Marayna reached up to finger the cloth she had wrapped around her neck, it was like her brother's neckerchief, only much larger, like a small blanket that was draped over her shoulders and tossed up over them to cover her neck, from near beneath her chin to just over her chest, "I suppose," she croaked, wincing as she cleared her throat at the sound of it.

Gwen's expression fell into a concerned frown, "Are you alright?" she took a step towards her friend, "You sound ill."

Marayna turned her head from Gwen, silently cursing herself for forgetting to take the draught Gaius had left for her that morning to soothe her throat, "I'm fine," she rasped, turning back to smile reassuringly at Gwen, "Just a sore throat is all."

Gwen didn't look like she believed her, "If you're sure..." she eyed Marayna as the girl swallowed hard, still fingering her own oversized neckerchief, tugging it up, before nodding. Gwen sighed, "I'd best be off to check on my Lady."

Gwen turned and left the room, Marayna calmly making her way to the door moments later and peeking out around it till she saw Gwen disappear around the corner. She waited a few more moments, listening to her footsteps get farther away until they disappeared before sighing and closing the door.

~8~

Gwen hurried around the corner and made her way purposefully towards a red and gold tapestry of the Pendragon crest hanging from the wall. She glanced around her, making sure no one was there to see her, before sliding behind it, feeling for a crease in the wall. She shoved against the wall, feeling it give way under her and squeezed into the small passage behind it. Not many servants knew of the 'secret passages' as Morgana had loved to call them as children. They weren't really secret passages though, it was more like a door to some old disused hallway that had once been used for storage but that no one had interest in any longer, so tapestries and the like were placed before it to keep others from venturing in. She was one of the few who knew of them, having explored the castle quite a bit with Morgana when they were younger, around the time Morgana had come to stay at Camelot when she'd been a little girl. She quickly slid down the narrow passage until she came to a stop where there was a small hole of light in the darkness. She pressed herself up against it, standing on the tips of her toes until she could see through the hole...and into Arthur's room. It wasn't a peeping hole, or it wasn't meant to be. It wasn't even really a hole per say, more like a crack in the stone that one could vaguely see the next room over through. Since the room was naturally dark, with no windows or sconces, the crack couldn't be seen from Arthur's room as no light filtered through it.

She watched as Marayna leaned out the door, listening for her footsteps that had long since disappeared before returning to the room and shutting the door behind her. She watched as the girl stood in the center of the room, just looking around at it a moment. Gwen frowned, Marayna seemed pale and weary about something. She wasn't standing like her normal, easy, confident self but seemed to sag a bit. She saw the girl sigh before turning to face a small mirror that Arthur had set up in the corner of the room. Hesitantly Marayna reached up to the corner of her blue neckerchief and began to pull it away from her till it fell away.

Gwen only barely managed to stifle her gasp at the sight of what had laid hidden behind the cloth. Dark brown spots and purple bruises were scattered across Marayna's neck! They seemed very painful, something she judge by how, as Marayna reached up to brush a finger against one in examination, she flinched.

It wasn't a sore throat or an illness that had her talking so funny at all! It was the strain that whatever made those bruises on her throat and she frowned as she realized just what those bruises were caused by. Someone had tried to strangle her, she was sure of it. But who? When?

The only people around her were Merlin, who wound _never_ ever do anything to harm his sister, herself, Morgana, neither of whom had touched the girl, Gaius thought of her as a daughter and would never hurt her like that. Uther had had her thrown in the stocks, but the stocks didn't make bruises like that. That only left Arthur and…

Wait! Her mind spun quickly as she realized, there_ had_ been someone here a day or so ago, Sophia and Aulfric! Had Aulfric done that to her? He seemed the sort of man to hurt others, but she also wouldn't put it past Sophia to try and hurt the girl either. That had to be it. Aulfric had tried to strangle her. Had it been when she and Merlin went to return the prince to Camelot? It would make sense, but Merlin would have said something about it wouldn't he?

Perhaps it had been before that then? Morgana had mentioned that, when she'd gone to Gaius to alert him to the fact that Arthur had run off, Merlin ran out of the room. She'd always assumed that Merlin had run out after Arthur…but rarely were Merlin and Marayna separate…maybe he had run out to check on his sister? That would make sense as well.

She sighed, frowning miserably as she watched her friend cover up her bruises again and continue on about her chores. She pushed away from the wall, making her way back to the hallway, and striding to her Lady's room. If there was anyone who could find out what happened, it was Morgana.

~8~

Marayna sighed as she collected some water for her uncle, the last few days were starting to get to her. She hadn't wanted to worry her brother about her bruises, she knew he'd try to kill Arthur and then where would their destinies be? But the strain of keeping the secret…it was hard. She had lied to her brother before and she had kept secrets from him, sure, but they were all VERY small matters and he always found out the truth soon enough. She didn't like keeping secrets from him, they didn't often, unless it was truly necessary...like if they were planning a surprise or trying to protect each other. But this? This was something serious and he had already demanded if anything was wrong again, she tell him.

Gaius knew.

He had noticed the bruising starting the moment he and Merlin found her unconscious in Arthur's rooms. He would apply healing salves at night for her and have a fresh potion ready in the morning for her to take to soothe her throat enough where the rasping wasn't very noticeable. She'd slipped today with Gwen, she could tell the girl was suspicious. It would only be a matter of time before she told her worries to Morgana, who would tell Merlin, who would be after her for answers and then it would take only moments before Arthur found out...when Merlin attempted to murder him.

The prince's memories of the other day were fuzzy at best after he'd gone on the first ride with Sophia to the forest. He remembered there was a girl, Sophia, and that he wanted to marry her for some reason and he'd yelled at his father and shirked duties. But besides that, he wasn't really too aware of anything else. Especially not what happened after he'd fallen completely under the enchantment.

She was thankful for that. She knew Arthur would beat himself up over what he'd done to her and, as much as she always wanted to cause those who hurt her equal pain and double the pain should they harm someone she loved (she really did need to work on her ability to forgive and not leap to revenge), this time...she just...couldn't. She had never been able to do that to Merlin, or to the people she cared about, and now...not with Arthur. She set the bucket of water down and plopped onto the wall beside her, just...needing a moment to collect her thoughts as one very strong and almost slightly unwelcome one hit her.

She was in love, wasn't she?

It would explain everything. Why she'd wanted to claw Sophia's eyes out when Arthur first smiled at her. Why she felt so hurt at Arthur's declaration of love to Sophia. The pain she felt at having Arthur turn on her like that and refuse to believe her, even if both instances were a result of an enchantment. It made sense, the utter relief and joy she had felt at seeing Arthur alive and alright when Merlin surfaced in the lake. Even more, it would explain the desperation and determination that had slowly been building in her that Arthur never come to harm or experience pain, especially not pain _she_ caused him. She didn't want to hurt him, ever. So...she would keep her mouth shut and wait for the bruises to fade.

She hated that she loved him though, and that was the unwelcome part, to realize she loved someone that was so...she couldn't think of the word but she knew she was all wrong for him. For as confident as she usually was...and this was the weird part because she usually was confident (well, not really confident, it was more like her attitude of not caring what she did or said around anyone came across as that)...she just, there were times she could admit that she felt inadequate. It was really all the time though, and maybe that was where her 'confidence' stemmed from.

She wasn't noble, she wasn't beautiful, she wasn't well-read, or educated or anything. She was plain and basic, common. She was lucky she could read and write and that she knew how to barely handle sais. A good lot that did her, that was the _only_ weapon she could use and not many people carried them around nowadays nor was she able to practice what the knights had shown her often. Merlin, he could just grab a long stick and he usually had, twigs or two sticks for her weren't the same as a sai hilt. She wasn't polite or well-mannered, she had little use of etiquette and never knew when to shut her mouth or keep silent, that was one of her biggest faults. She was sarcastic and rude, often times crude or even vulgar, sometimes conniving and deceptive when need be.

And that was nothing a queen should be, nothing she knew SHE could be because that wasn't her. She wasn't a queen or queen-like at all. Queens were graceful where she was clumsy, they were soft-spoken where she could call someone a 'rat bastard swine rolling in feces' and not give a second thought about it. Queens were diplomatic where her attitude would likely cause a war, they were peaceful and peacekeepers where she would be more than willing to slap someone. They were meant to care for an entire kingdom when the king was away, to help it prosper...she hadn't been able to keep a small plant that they'd tried to grow in a pot alive once. If left to her, Camelot would fall to ruin she was sure of it.

She'd given herself over to the utter failure of herself a long time ago and just...didn't care after that. She didn't care how others perceived her or if she wasn't the best at something, because she'd never been the best at anything to begin with. There was nothing to love about her, but everything to love about Arthur. She didn't even know when she began to feel this way about him, when she'd first started to feel like he might be someone worth keeping around. Maybe it was when he'd finally helped the orphans, or maybe it was before that when he'd made her so angry she'd punched him. She laughed to herself, it was probably even before that, when she'd first seen him doing that amusing impersonation of a fish after she brought up incest.

What a first impression_ that_ must have been.

She mentally hit herself, even then she was proving herself ill-suited to be a queen. The Dragon was wrong. He had to be. There was no way Arthur would love her and even if he did one day, there was no way she could let him make her the queen. She'd be terrible and she would hate herself forever if she did anything that hurt Camelot or embarrassed Arthur. That was probably why she'd been avoiding him and keeping from making eye contact. She was pushing herself away from him, distancing herself, in the only way she knew how. She would be cold to him, avoid him, glare at him if necessary, until the point where he assumed she hated him and would come to hate her as well. Better he hate her now than hate her later after she was married to him and he was stuck with her.

And maybe it had a bit to do with the utter fury she felt whenever the bruises made themselves known to her. Enchantment or not, how could Arthur do that to anyone!? For all his claims of being so strong and such a fighter he was rubbish at warding off enchantments wasn't he? At fighting against them?

And even then, she was happy it had been her and not her brother who had been attacked. There was something seriously wrong with her if she was both angry and happy she'd been strangled. She was more angry at the thought that it could have been someone else suffering instead of her and she'd rather it be her to take the brunt of an attack than anyone else. She shook her head to clear away her turmoil thoughts, before standing and lifting the pail, carrying it back to Gaius. It was just better she not think of anything involving Sophia and Arthur for a while as it either upset her or infuriated her.

Maybe she would actually read some of her uncle's science books.

~8~

"Gwen?" Morgana called, noticing her maidservant's daze. She'd been polishing the same candle stick holder for the last ten minutes. Gwen appeared not to have heard her and continued scrubbing the same spot with a slight frown on her face, "Gwen?" she tried again, before sighing and rising from her seat to make her way over to her friend. She reached out and took the girl's hands in her own, gently removing the candlestick holder from her grasp, snapping the maidservant out of her thoughts.

"My Lady?" she shook her head, not understanding why she'd been stopped.

Morgana smiled gently, "What's wrong?"

Gwen sighed before speaking, all in one breath, "I'm not sure. I went to see Rayna and she seemed a bit off and when I asked she wouldn't answer and her throat sounded raw and then I left and used that one passage where you can see Arthur's room through the crack and looked and saw bruises on her neck and I don't know where they came from! Do you think it was Aulfric?"

Morgana stared at her a moment, all she had managed to catch out of that was Aulfric. She softly requested her maid to repeat what she'd said again, but slower but when that was done, Morgana found herself falling onto the trunk at her bed in shock, horrified at what could be assumed happened to the girl, "There were bruises on her neck?"

Gwen nodded, sitting down beside her Lady, "They were shaped like finger tips," she explained, shivering at the memory, "The only person I could think who might do that would be Aulfric."

Morgana suddenly became very tense, her eyes narrowing, "I know one other person," she muttered, before standing up and storming out of the room.

~8~

"How could you Arthur!?" Morgana nearly screeched as she cantered into the prince's room, slamming the door shut behind her. She walked over to the prince, who was lying on his bed, reading a book and promptly began to smack any part of him she could reach.

"Ow. Ow! OW!" Arthur cried, raising his arms to defend himself only to end up rolling to the side and off the other side of the bed. He quickly shot up and braced his hands on the edge of the bed as Morgana mirrored him across the bed, "What was the purpose of that?!"

She shot him a glare ten times colder than their bitterest winters, "How could you do that to Rayna? What is the_ matter_ with you?! Of all people I never…"

"What on _earth_ are you going on about?" he interrupted.

"Like you don't know," she nearly spat.

"Clearly I don't," he answered with raised eyebrows. Something he had done had clearly upset the woman before him and he'd been on the receiving end of her rage far often enough to know it was not a position anyone wanted to be in.

"Before you left with Sophia, what happened?" she countered, her hands clenching into fists on the bed.

Arthur shook his head, straightening, "I, uh, I packed and…Mara came to speak to me," he shook his head again, "I didn't listen, and...we left."

"Simple as that?" Morgana nearly laughed sarcastically.

"What do you want me to say Morgana?" he shot back, rolling his eyes, "You already know I don't remember much of that."

"What did Rayna say?"

He sighed, "Uh, something about…something about me being enchanted or…or under a spell or something," he laughed softly, recalling when Morgana had come to try and talk him out of a thing or two in the past, "She sounded just like you prattling on in my chambers."

"And what did you _do_?"

"I didn't believe her. If Sophia was a sorceress, father would have had her executed."

"He nearly did, remember?"

"For an entirely different reason than sorcery," Arthur shook his head, recalling what Gaius and his servants had told him of that time. He hadn't told them but...it was slowly coming back to him the last day or so, bits and pieces of it, "Are you going to get to the point any time soon? Or am I going to have to answer more of your silly questions?"

"A few more. And after, she said you were enchanted, what then?"

"Sophia came it," Arthur scrunched his face as though trying to pull the answer from a long distant memory, "She wanted to leave…Mara tried to get me to stay…"

"And?" Morgana drew out.

"And I wanted to leave," Arthur frowned, "I was going to but…Mara stopped me…she…she said Sophia wanted to kill me…but I wouldn't listen, I was…angry…"

Morgana was silent, seeing that Arthur was finally understanding the severity of her question.

"She accused Sophia and her father of…of magic and…I didn't like it…I…" he sopped, his eyes widening in shock, his face paling as a realization hit him so powerfully in his gut that he felt like he was going to be sick.

"You?" Morgana breathed out, seeing that he had remembered something terrible. She had been hoping she was wrong in her assumption of what happened. She knew Arthur was quite taken with Sophia and was already angry at his father for refusing their marriage, if Marayna had gone to him to talk, she feared what had happened.

"I tried to choke her," he whispered, his entire spirit broken by those five words as he fell back into a chair, "I _did_ choke her," he stared down at his hands as though they had blood on them, not even noticing when Morgana crouched before him and laid her hands over his, "I…I grabbed her neck and squeezed and s-she…" he shuddered, tears coming to his eyes that he refused to let fall, "She begged me to stop…and I didn't! I didn't until she'd passed out. Oh god," he let out a strangled cry, shaking his head as he hunched over, his head in his hands, "What have I done?"

Morgana who, in her entire life, had never seen Arthur in such a state, could only stand and move beside him, rubbing his back as he actually cried…though he would never admit it to anyone when he'd finished.

~8~

"Why didn't she say anything to me?" Arthur asked softly as he stat staring into his fire, Morgana sitting in the chair across from him, "How could she stand being around me after what I did to her? And pretend like it didn't happen?"

How could she stand being around him for what he'd done even before that. He had worked out now from his memories that he HAD been enchanted. He couldn't really remember what happened after he'd left Marayna lying on his floor and gone with Sophia, that was still blank, but everything else...he remembered it now. But more so, he remembered how blurry those memories had been, everything starting after he'd gone out to ride with Sophia the first time. He could remember clearly how he acted before that moment, which he took to mean the enchantment hadn't started yet. And THAT bothered him.

Marayna had been far too accommodating to his 'interest' in Sophia.

Interest was a rather strong word though, he honestly...he hadn't cared that much for the woman but...Marayna was driving him mad! All her teasing since Richard left, all the positions she put him in, how close she got, the sound of her voice, her smirk...it had been getting to him. It had been making him...think things, feel things, feel them all stronger than he had before. Even just before they'd found Sophia they'd been in a similar situation, a compromising position, her too close to him to focus. He'd needed a distraction, badly. Because he was losing control of the little self restraint he had left not to just kiss her when they were in positions like that, when she was close enough for him to reach out and grab her and just...kiss her.

If he did that, Uther would have her executed, he was sure of it.

So he'd looked at Sophia, a noblewoman his father wouldn't have a qualm with him spending time with or focusing on. He'd tried his hardest to make himself like her, or at least try to be fond of her. He tried, he really had. It sort of got a bit mixed up, his intentions and what he ended up hoping to use Sophia for. He had started hoping that Sophia would prove a distraction from Marayna, help him take his mind off the tempting servant of his, that he'd be able to force some sort of interest in her...somewhere between that and deciding where he ought to place her rooms it had ended up more like him trying to use her to make Marayna jealous, to see if she might possibly feel something for him and show it when he expressed an interest in another woman.

And against all his expectations, she'd only stepped aside to let him have access to Sophia.

He should have expected it though, she never did anything he expected her to do. He...he was almost certain that Marayna DID feel something for him, but it seemed she'd realized the same thing he had. A relationship between them was dangerous, and (he hoped) she had been stepping aside as a way to return him to his original plans, to be distracted, even if for a day or so, by Sophia, to gather himself again. He truly hoped she hadn't stepped aside because she felt nothing for him, he doubted that was the case though. He just...he couldn't understand it. He couldn't understand how he'd gone from needing a distraction to using Sophia to gain attention from Marayna. It seemed that his mind had wandered and, before he knew it, he'd been trying to make her jealous instead of focusing on Sophia himself as he'd planned to.

He'd really just...he'd wanted some sort of distraction at one point, and then a bit of jealous-making at another, and ended up following Sophia like a puppy...though he blamed the enchantment for the last one.

Morgana could only shrug, "Perhaps she believes it wasn't really you who did it. If she was right and Sophia had enchanted you, it was really Sophia making you do it, not you yourself."

Arthur gave a hollow laugh at that, "That made no sense."

She smiled softly at him, "She doesn't blame you," she said as simply as she could, "It was the enchantment and she knows it."

He shook his head, sighing, "That still doesn't excuse anything."

Morgana eyed him for that. She'd never seen him beat himself up over anything the way he was doing at that moment, usually he would take the first offer of some sort of forgiveness, the moment someone waved off something he might have done bad or tried to downplay it he would leap at the chance to go along with it and forget about it. But now...he wasn't letting this go. He understood that he hadn't willingly hurt Marayna, that he wasn't in control, that he was BEING controlled, but for all that it mattered, it was still _him_ who had hurt her and for that fact alone he wouldn't be forgiving himself anything soon.

"Then apologize," she shrugged as Arthur looked up at her, "Let her know you didn't mean it and that you're sorry."

"She…"

"We've both established that she's already forgiven you Arthur," Morgana rolled her eyes, cutting him off, "She understands. But the only way YOU are ever going to have a chance at redeeming yourself and being able to face her is to apologize and do whatever you can to make it up to her," but Arthur merely looked down, contemplating it, and she sighed, sometimes it was just SO hard to get through to him, "You could always hire another maidserv…"

"No!" Arthur nearly shouted, _nearly_, looking at her with wide eyes.

She nearly jumped at the volume and tone of his shout, there was something in his voice she'd never heard before. A fear. She had to smile softly when she realized he was scared of losing her, understanding the feeling all too well, "Then you've got to face her Arthur. You're going to be seeing her every day, if you can't look at her it'll just drive her away from you."

He eyed her a moment before sighing and nodding.

Morgana gave him a short nod, her work done, and stood up, walking out of the room to leave him to his thoughts and plans.

~8~

Marayna sat in hers and Merlin's bedroom, the spell book on her lap, absently looking at it, flipping through the pages, unseeing of the words written on it. She'd come there to try and see if she could find a spell to heal bruises. Merlin was becoming suspicious of her own neckerchief given how much she had teased him about his own when they were growing up. He knew it was unlike her to want to wear one. Sooner or later he would work out that she was hiding something and try to snatch it from her. If she couldn't get rid of the bruises before then…

She rubbed her neck gently, her cloth gone, exposing the bruises, as she swallowed hard. She'd managed to sort her thoughts on the subject over the last few hours and had come to two conclusions. The first was, obviously, she wasn't good enough for Arthur. How could se be? She was literally a servant in the castle and, while she was _not_ happy about the laws regarding them, servants were the property of their masters, men and women who, for all intents and purposes, could do whatever they want to their servants for punishment. No one would defend her because of her bruises especially when learning that Arthur had inflicted them. It was made even worse by the fact she was a woman, many women better than her in the past had suffered worse. Honestly had it not been for Aurora being involved in the Urry debacle she doubted anything would have been done about that either.

She also knew that Arthur was under a spell, that he would never have done that to her of his own free will and that, once he remembered, if he ever did, he would probably come storming down there and try to apologize. And while she understood he'd been controlled, and while she knew that she did care about him very much, she was still angry that she'd been hurt. Causing him just a bit of pain at having strangled her wouldn't cause her heart any undue harm.

She had seen a change in Arthur since she'd been there and from the stories Merlin had told her. He was changing, she hoped for the better. He was more considerate, more understanding, even more compassionate she liked to think. He was slowly becoming the great king the Dragon had talked of often when she visited him. And she liked to think she and Merlin had a hand in that. If her actions and the way she handled him were in any way a help towards shaping this king, she would continue to do what she was, handle situations the way she always did. With slaps and shouts and turning on her heel and sarcasm.

Enchantment or not, Arthur would learn and grow from this experience if she had anything to say about it.

Her thoughts were suddenly cut off when the door to the room flew open, making her quickly hide the book beside her...only to see Merlin stood there, beaming at her, with a small bowl of fruit he'd nicked from the kitchens in hand. Her eyes widened as his own narrowed, honing in on her neck.

"What the hell happened?!" he shouted, running forward, setting the bowl down on a small bedside table as he knelt by the bed, reaching out to gently poke and prod her bruises.

She hissed in pain and slapped his hands away, "Nothing."

"Marayna," he gave her a warning look.

She sighed, she'd promised to tell him when things were wrong and now he was confronting her about it, "Arthur didn't react very well to me trying to stop him leaving with Sophia and Aulfric."

He frowned, puzzled for a moment, before it clicked in his mind, "Arthur tried to strangle you?!" he raged, seeing red, "I'll kill him!" he jumped up, heading for the door.

But the door slammed shut on its own and he turned to see Marayna's eyes dimming from their golden haze. She sighed and shook her head, "Sit down Merlin, you _can't_ kill him."

"But Aya," he looked at her desperately, "Look what he did to you!"

"If you kill him, these bruises will be for nothing. We didn't risk our lives repeatedly to save him, only for you to kill him. Everything we've been through and suffered would be wasted if the prat dies now."

Merlin stood there, stunned at how calm she was being. He eyed her closely, the bruises were already turning yellow as they healed. Clearly she'd had known about them longer than he had and gotten over it somehow. Knowing her, she had some sort of revenge in mind or at least some lesson to teach Arthur. He bit his lip recalling that she would one day be Arthur's wife if the Dragon was to be believed, she would need to be able to handle him without her brother coming to her aid.

He sighed, he trusted her, he had to know that if she wasn't angry and trying to kill Arthur herself, it was for a good reason, "Let me get some of Gaius's salve," he offered quietly, turning to head out.

"Merlin," Marayna called and he paused, "Thank you for trusting me."

He couldn't help the small smile that made its way onto his face. He looked over his shoulder at his sister, his baby sister, and, really...for the first time he could see it, she really was all grown up now wasn't she? Mature and ready to take on the world herself, but...he knew she'd never forget about him, he was her big brother and he would always be there to help her when she needed it. But clearly, she didn't need it just at that moment.

~8~

"Merlin!"

He flinched, hearing Arthur behind him as he stood in the stables, mucking them out. He'd managed to avoid the prince the whole day after getting the chores when they woke the prat that morning. But it seemed like his luck had run out, "Yes sire?" he asked, a small bite in his voice as he turned to look at the prince, "Something I can help you with?"

Arthur eyed him a moment, sensing his hostility, "Has…has Mara…said anything to you?"

"Oh, you mean about how you tried to strangle her?" he glared, pleased when Arthur flinched, "Yes, now that you mention it, she _did_ say something about that as I was helping her put a salve on the bruises."

Arthur swallowed hard at that, "…there are bruises?" his voice was quiet, guilty.

Merlin glared at him a moment longer before sighing. He could see it even now, how wretched Arthur felt about what had happened, "All across her neck," he nodded, his voice quiet as well before he shook his head, "Why did you do it Arthur?"

If Arthur noticed the lack of titles he didn't say anything, honestly he was getting so used to his servants addressing him as 'Arthur' that he almost missed when others spoke to him if they addressed him as 'sire' or other titles, "I don't know," he admitted, "I…all I remember was feeling so angry and betrayed and wanting to be with Sophia and Mara telling me to stay away from her..." he shook his head, "I…I truly don't know why I did it Merlin. But I am so, so sorry that I did. And I know that nothing I say can make up for that," Merlin nodded in agreement to that, "And I know I don't deserve her forgiveness…"

Merlin snorted, "No, you don't."

"And I never will. But…I'd like the chance to apologize properly to her."

"And what?" Merlin nearly laughed, "You want me to help you swindle my sister into forgiving you?" she already had, she'd told him as much, citing it was the enchantment and Sophia that made him do it, not something Arthur would ever want to do, but he wasn't going to let Arthur off that easily if he could help it.

No, he'd make him squirm first.

"Merlin please…" Arthur actually seemed to almost sort of beg, making Merlin pause in his thoughts, "Help me."

Merlin let out a breath and eyed him, "I'm not sure I can. Marayna can really hold a grudge."

"It can't be for that long though, right?" Arthur asked hopefully.

Merlin shrugged, crossing his arms, "She hasn't forgiven my friend Will for a trick he played on her once."

Arthur started to frown, not sure how he like the sound of that, "How long ago was that?"

"Oh…" Merlin trailed as though in thought even though he knew full well how long it had been, "Going on 13 years now…"

"Wonderful," Arthur breathed, sitting heavily down on a barrel and putting his head in his hands. He didn't understand why it meant so much to him that Marayna forgive him, that she know how much he truly cared for her. His father would think him mad if he found he was like this all over a servant though he might have possibly noticed a very small, nearly miniscule soft spot that his father might have for Marayna. And frankly he didn't care what his father thought. He honestly didn't care why he felt this way either, why he was obsessing so much over the thought of Marayna being cross with him. All he knew was that...the thought of her being in pain because of him, being angry with him, hating him…made his stomach twist and his heart clench painfully.

Merlin was quiet, eyeing the prince a long moment, "You really_ are_ sorry aren't you?" Arthur said nothing, but it was obvious he was, "Alright, I'll help you…" Arthur's head shot up, "On _one_ condition."

"Anything," Arthur nodded.

"I want your agreement," Merlin began, more serious than Arthur had ever heard him, "That if you do _anything_ like this to my sister again, I have your royal pardon to kill you."

Arthur stared Merlin straight in the eye, "Merlin…you'd have to get in line because I'm fairly certain I'd do myself in before I hurt her again…" Merlin nodded his acceptance at that, "And then there's Morgana at the head of the line…"

Merlin laughed, earning a small smile from Arthur before he walked over and sat before the noble on a crate, both of them getting to work on what he could do to make it up to Marayna.

~8~

Marayna was quiet as she swept the floor of Arthur's chambers. She'd caught Morgana eyeing her earlier and realized that Merlin had probably told Gwen who told her about the bruising. Which meant that she couldn't magically heal them anymore, because if Morgana and Gwen knew then Arthur might and if he asked to see them and they were magically gone, then she'd have some explaining to do. So she had to suffer through the tenderness a while longer. Thankfully though the tonic Gaius had provided when she'd returned the water had soothed her throat enough where she didn't sound like an old woman eating a frog when she tried to speak.

She heard the door to the room open and ignored it, continuing to sweep, "Mara?" a unnaturally timid voice called.

She only paused a moment in her sweeping at the thought that she'd never have believed Prince Arthur himself could ever sound quite that timid before she resumed her work, "Yes _My Lord_?" she smirked to herself when she saw Arthur flinch out of the corner of her eye. She knew the way she often said 'My Lord' to him, especially when he was being a ridiculous prat, made him uncomfortable. Perhaps it would one day teach him to earn the respect the title entailed.

"Marayna…" he began again, but she didn't stop.

So he walked over to her and put a hand on the broom handle, breathing a sigh of relief when she didn't flinch away from him. He'd actually had nightmarish daydreams about her, morphing into Aurora and shying away from his touch, fearful of his very presence. He couldn't begin to describe how it lightened his hearts to see her not outwardly reacting badly to his actions. He gently pulled the broom away, setting it against the wall. He turned back to her, to see her crossing her arms as she stood before him, looking for all the world like she was irritated with being unable to complete her chores. But he could see it, she was irritated with _him._

He took a breath, "I'm sorry."

"For what?" he gaped at her a moment, but she simply lifted a delicate eyebrow. He swallowed hard, oh dear lord, she was going to make him say it, "For what _My Lord_?" she repeated

He winced again before taking a breath, "I'm sorry for my actions the other day. They were hardly proper and unbefitting a noble."

"And?"

He frowned at that, "And for ignoring the words of warning you and Merlin tried to bestow upon me."

"And?"

His eyes started to narrow, "And for…for harming you in the process, both emotionally and physically."

"And?"

This time his jaw clenched, just how many things were there? "And I'm sorry for trying to…strangle you."

She grinned, "And?"

He let out a frustrated growl and threw his hands out to the sides, "And what? What else do you want me to say Mara? I'm sorry that I didn't listen to the fine words of wisdom from my two idiot servants who have done nothing but throw my life into chaos from the moment I met them! I'm sorry I even attempted being kind to another woman, for even looking at one, when I have you and your oh-so devastating beauty before me! I'm sorry that I moved to choke the life out of your infuriatingly small neck!"

Marayna started to laugh at how sarcastic he was when he reached his breaking point of irritation, "Apology accepted," she smirked, seeing him gape at her, eyes wide, breathing heavy from his rant, "And for your peace of mind, I was merely trying to see how much I could get you and your almighty ego to apologize for. I do applaud your use of sarcasm though, much improved since last time."

He let out a little huff of air in disbelief. His words came back to him and he nearly smacked himself. He'd come back to his rooms, knowing she'd be there, to apologize and ended up basically shouting at her and she just stood there smirking at him? Maybe it wasn't Merlin that had the mental affliction. He shook his head, no, that wasn't what needed to be looked into. What he really needed to find out...was how she did that. How did she managed to deflate him so well, remain so calm when he was within an inch of firing her and get him to lose his tongue?

"Now, if you shall excuse me," she turned and picked up the broom once more, "I am nearly finished with my chores for the day…"

He watched as she began to sweep once more, turning in a small circle with her back to him as she continued. He shook his head, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the second part of his apology. Whatever she might say or think, he didn't feel like he had truly made amends just yet, despite her acceptance of his apology.

"Mara," he called. She turned around to see him standing there with a small strip of fabric in his hands, a blindfold, "Trust me?" he held it up, sounding more like a question than a request.

She eyed the fabric and then him a moment, searching his eyes for his intent. It was something she never had done before and it killed him to know that she didn't automatically trust herself with him as she had done before. It was all the more reason to believe that, contrary to her words, she didn't TRULY forgive him yet. Or perhaps, she had forgiven him, but he doubted she would ever forget what he'd done to her.

"Ok," she shrugged, surprising him. After everything he'd done to her, he hadn't expected her to be willing to leave herself at his mercy. Perhaps Morgana was right and she really did believe that it was just the enchantment…

His thoughts were cut off as she turned around, waiting for him to tie the fabric around her eyes. He made quick work of it, not wanting her to change her mind and run off. He tied the last knot and slowly reached out to take her hand. She didn't flinch like he expected which he took to be a good sign and slowly led her out of the room.

He smiled as they reached the doors to the castle uninterrupted or seen, it was still fairly warm out even in the dark of night so he needn't worry about a cloak. With her and her brother's luck she'd end up tripping on the hem, he'd actually had to get the dresses he'd bought her altered for her duties to make the hem just an inch shorter to avoid that, and that would do little to help rebuild her trust in him. On that note, he carefully led her to the stables, to his own private stables.

He opened the door, watching her face as she frowned a bit, sniffing a little, working out where she was. He couldn't help but smile at that, at her using her senses to place herself, she was rather clever for how much she and her brother pretended to be idiots. He stepped forward, gently untying the cloth, making sure not to snag her hair as he did so.

She blinked a few times, getting used to the soft glow of torches that were lighting up of the stables and looked around. There was a soft neigh before her and she turned her head to see a large chestnut colored horse with a long, frizzy, black mane before her, very large but she could tell he was just a sweetheart by how he was nudging his head for her to pet him. She laughed, reaching up to him as he snorted in her hand before she began to stroke his mane.

"Any particular reason you brought me here?" she asked, looking over her shoulder at Arthur, seeing him beaming at how the horse was reacting to her.

"Yes actually," he nodded, "I thought you should get to know your horse."

Her hand froze as she stared at him in shock, until the horse began to nudge her hand again, eager for a pet, "You…you bought me a horse?" she blinked, stunned. Not what she was expecting, especially since she'd told him ages ago she and her temperament couldn't be bought with gifts. She shook her head, "I can't accept him Arthur, it's too mu…"

"I didn't really _buy_ you one," he corrected lightly, not to mention the horse would still have to remain in his stables, despite doing this if his father found out he'd given the horse to his servant he'd probably be locked in the dungeons or something, "As prince I have a fair amount of horses at my disposal and…I know Bartok is a bit old but he's kind and gentle and…"

Marayna blinked at the name though, "He's the horse you told me of, the one you've had since you're a boy."

"Yes."

She shook her head, "Arthur then I _really can't_ accept him, he means too much to you and…"

"_You_ mean much to me," he cut in quietly, "I know this can scarcely make up for what I did to you Mara, and I will _never_ forgive myself as it is. I just…he is one of the things I treasure most and I want you to know that I truly do value you," he needed her to know that, this was his way of showing her how much he really DID value her, to give her something so dear to him, it was the only way he could think to show her that he...he treasured her more, "Please think of him as..."

He was cut off this time, but instead of words, it was by Marayna's lips on his. His eyes widened for a moment in shock before they began to close, just about to respond to the kiss...when she pulled back with a gasp, a hand to her mouth, her eyes as wide as his had been completely shocked at what she'd just done.

But, in true Marayna fashion, she didn't apologize for what had happened, despite how clearly embarrassed she was about it judging by the red currently flushing her cheeks, "Thank you," she murmured, moving her hand from her mouth, "For you to willingly give up something of yours, to a servant no less, especially something you're fond of and that you clearly treasure...it means a lot to me. And I will treasure him as well."

He started to smile, "Think nothing of it."

He DID recall her response to him offering her gold coins their first trip into the market. She didn't like being just paid off or given nice things, Merlin had emphasized that. Whatever he wished to gift her with to prove his guilt and apologies, it had to be something from the _heart_, not something sparkly. It had to MEAN something.

She took a breath, the red fading from her cheeks when she saw he wasn't going to tease her for her actions, "I um," she cleared her throat, "I feel I should warn you Arthur…I shall be inclined in the future to dislike any girl, besides Morgana and Gwen, who comes into contact with you."

He laughed, "And why is that?"

She just stepped closer to him, his laughter dying down as she moved even closer, so close he could feel her soft breath on his cheeks, her lips nearly ghosting over his own as she looked into his eyes, "You are MY master," she reminded him, nearly mimicking words he'd said to her not long ago, "You belong to _me_."

And with that, she stepped back, turning at the same time, and sauntered out of the stables with a smirk, leaving him standing there like an idiot and staring at the spot she'd just been standing in with wide eyes.

Bartok eyed his former master a moment, waiting for the man to move to pet him, before he grew impatient and nudged him.

Arthur shook his head, snapping out of his daze and looked at Bartok, reaching out a hand to absently pet him, "How does she DO that?" he asked the horse, as though he might have the answer.

All he received was a snort into his hand and a shake of the head.

~8~

Morgana sat at her vanity, watching as Merlin paced back and forth in her chambers. He claimed to have stopped by to give her the draught as he always did just before Gwen left for the night. And, as always, she'd come up with some excuse to keep him longer while Gwen left so her maid would not be even more suspicious of his late night visits. While she shared many things with Gwen, her time with Merlin was something she wanted to keep to herself for the moment.

That had been near a half hour ago and he'd done nothing but pace, mumbling to himself, she was honestly starting to grow concerned. He'd mentioned that 'they needed to talk' before he grew agitated and started his walking.

She knew enough from the courts to know what those words could mean. But for the life of her she truly didn't believe that Merlin was about to leave her, not that there was anything to leave from…she…she loved him, terribly at times. She could admit it, she did. It happened so suddenly, even if it took her a while to realize it, that she knew she should have been frightened of it, but…there was just something so familiar about him, so comforting, so protective that she couldn't help but feel safe and drawn to him. She had a vague suspicion that she might have been dreaming of him all her life, but not remembered upon waking as had often happened in the past.

But, they hadn't openly expressed their feelings nor had they discussed exactly what they were at the moment. And that was enough to give her pause, "Merlin," she called after another few minutes and he paused in his pacing, his back to her, "Are you alright?" she watched as he tensed before letting out a breath and turning to her with such a fearful, almost regretful look on his face that she couldn't help but get up and move towards him. She took his hands in her own, "What's wrong?"

He took a breath and led her to her bed, sitting down, moving for her to sit beside him. She took the fact he'd yet to let go of her hands as a good sign for whatever was coming. He looked at her, opening his mouth, before shutting it, clearly fighting with what he had to say and whether to say it.

Morgana reached up and cupped his cheek, making him stop and look at her, "Merlin," she whispered, just a hint of desperation and fear in her voice, "Please, tell me."

He looked into her eyes and she couldn't help but feel he was looking into her soul with his deep blue eyes, the ones she'd so often gotten lost in herself. She never could look away when he looked at her like that.

"I…" he swallowed hard, she squeezed his hands in support, "I have magic."

She blinked, at first not sure if he'd said what she thought he had, "What?" she breathed.

"I have magic," he repeated, squeezing her hand this time.

"You need to go," she said quickly, standing up.

"No!" he shouted, his eyes wide as he leapt to his feet, "No, Morgana…"

"You have to hurry," she quickly ran over to a small cupboard, rifling through it, "Go to Gaius, pack everything you can, get some food from the kitchens, and I'll…"

"Morgana," he ran over to her, reaching out to turn her around, "Please, I'm not evil," he told her desperately, "I swear, I've only ever used my magic for good, to help, to protect…to…"

"Save Arthur," she finished.

"Save Arthur," he nodded, before realizing what she'd said and looking at her, dumbstruck.

"I _know_ you aren't evil Merlin," she whispered, "You couldn't be even if you tried," she smiled at him with tears in her eyes, "It's one of the reasons I love you…"

He blinked, tears in his eyes at her words as he felt the breath leave him, "You...love me?"

She nodded, "More than anything."

"Then you know I cannot leave you," he whispered, reaching up to touch her face, gently stroking her cheek, "Please Morgana, don't send me away."

She smiled, "I wasn't sending you away."

He frowned, confused, "But…"

She held up one of her hands revealing a travelling sack she'd pulled from the cupboard, "It seems...I can't leave you either."

He looked at it, stunned, then back at her, then the bag, and her once more, "You were going to leave _with_ me?"

"I don't care if you have magic Merlin, or why you wanted to learn it…"

"I was born with it," he cut in gently, just wanting to get that out in the open, wanting her to know the lack of choice he'd had in it.

She laughed just a bit, of course her Merlin, her wonderfully unique Merlin, would have such a gift, "It doesn't matter to me. How did you put it to Rayna…where you go, I go?"

He couldn't help but laugh and pull her into his arms, "You would give up all this for me?" he still couldn't quite believe it.

"I would never give up_ you_," she answered.

"Nor I you," he replied, hugging her tighter, "I love you as well Gana."

She couldn't help but smile at the nickname he'd bestowed upon her, a name she'd so often hated when Arthur called her it (hated it so much she'd hit him till he stopped) but one that felt so...natural coming from Merlin, and the words that preceded it as she snuggled more into his embrace, feeling safer than ever. She took a moment to savor it all, before forcing herself to pull away, reminded of the danger at hand, "We need to go though."

"Gan…"

"It isn't safe in Camelot," she cut in, "Uther will have you_ killed_ if he even gets a hint of what you can do. Merlin...I couldn't bear that."

"That will _never_ happen," Merlin told her, putting his hands on her shoulder to look at her, "Aya and I have a lifetime of keeping our magic secret."

"Rayna has magic too?"

"We were both born with it," he explained, before hesitating, knowing what the consequence of what his next words could be but...she deserved to know she wasn't alone, "Like…you."

Her eyes widened, "Me?" she swallowed hard.

He nodded, "Your dreams…"

"Are _just_ dreams," she shook her head, pulling away from him, trying to convince herself that she was right and he was wrong, "That's all they are, just dreams."

"Which have come true," Merlin reminded her.

"Coincidence."

"There are no coincidences in magic."

"It's not magic!"

He frowned at how adamantly she was denying it, "Why don't you believe so?"

"Because…" she took a breath as her voice trembled, "Because…magic is evil."

He shook his head, "But you just said I wasn't e…"

"I know what I said about YOU," she stressed, sitting down on the end of her bed once more, "_You_ can't be evil Merlin, you or Rayna, you're too good to ever be corrupted by magic but…" she looked away, tears in her eyes, not even wanting to finish that thought.

"But you think you will be," he pieced together, moving to kneel before her, taking her hands, "Gana that's absurd!"

She shook her head miserably, "It is not. You…you don't know me Merlin," she murmured quietly, "You don't know that things I think sometimes, the way I wish Uther was gone, the things I wish I could do to him sometimes…there are times where I truly hate him. Where I hate him more than anyone and…I don't know what I'd do if I had magic at my disposal to…" she couldn't speak more, the tears starting to fall.

"Gana," he moved beside her, pulling her into his arms, "If you had magic at your disposal, you'd use it for good."

"No I wouldn't."

"You would, I know it."

"How?"

"Because I DO know you," he insisted, "I know how much you care about people, not just those accused of magic. You care about Gwen, and Aya, and...and me, and we're just servants to everyone else. You care about the people and yeah, you have a temper, but you're so unafraid, you're not going to sit back and watch injustice happen. I don't like what Uther does, I hate it too, but you..." he shook his head, smiling at her, "You have a courage I could never have, facing him, telling him what you think, despite knowing you'll end up in the dungeons or something. You helped us trick Arthur into doing the right thing with the Afanc. You were willing to give up all this for me. A selfish, evil, person would _never_ do what you've done."

Morgana looked at him, a small smile on her face at his words, but more so at his belief in her goodness. It was, most likely, the longest he'd ever spoken in her presence, but his words touched her deeply. She _did_ have a lot of redeeming qualities, didn't she? Good qualities, ones that made her a good person at heart. She might be rough around the edges, but…her heart was golden. And she knew, no matter how much she hated Uther at times, she could never kill him, she could never hurt Arthur that way…

"Thank you Merlin," she whispered, sometimes she just needed to be reminded of that. Merlin was all the proof she needed to know magic COULD be good, and if it could be...then she could be good to. She didn't have to be evil. It was a _choice_.

He just lifted one of her hands and kissed it, his eyes locked on hers the entire time, watching as her expression lit up at the action, "We can't leave Camelot," he told her softly, continuing quickly when he saw the fear return in her eyes, "Aya and I, we've discovered our destiny not long ago…to protect Arthur."

Morgana let out a most unladylike snort at that, "Good luck! He's an idiot!"

Merlin laughed heartily, "That's exactly what the both of us told the Dragon."

Her eyes widened, "There's a dragon?"

He nodded, smiling, "Beneath this very castle, I…I can introduce you one day?" she nodded, eager to meet such a creature and surprised she hadn't discovered it during her explorations of the castle as a girl, "So you see, we can't leave till Arthur is king. And…quite a lot of people we care about are here, you, Gwen, Gaius, even Arthur."

She nodded, she wouldn't want to leave Arthur or Gwen unprotected, "But what about my dreams? My…my magic?" that would take a bit of doing getting used to that, to the idea that magic wasn't truly evil, or good, but the choice of the person who used it.

"Gaius thinks that your dreams are visions, that you're a Seer," he explained, "And the Dragon agrees. It means that you _might_ develop some magical abilities later on, but don't worry," he squeezed her hands in reassurance, "Aya and I will help teach you to control it. Aya's even got a few ideas of how to help you control your visions so you might be able to sleep better and…" he trailed off, seeing her yawn despite her valiant fight against it, "And speaking of sleep…"

"Sorry," she murmured, blinking as she tried to remain awake.

He gave a small chuckle, just pleased she didn't need the draught tonight, "No need for those," he stood, "You need your rest," he told her as she nodded, moving to help pull the covers over her, "Sleep," he whispered, kneeling at her bedside, taking her hand in his own as she turned to look at him, "We can talk more later."

"You'll stay?" she asked, her eyes already drooping in sleep.

He smiled, thinking of how not long ago she'd been demanding he leave, "Always," he whispered, leaning forward to kiss her forehead, her eyes fluttering closed as she fell asleep, knowing Merlin would keep her dreams safe.

A/N: Awww :) We got a kiss from Arthur and Marayna and 'I love you's from Merlin and Morgana ^-^ I can say we'll see another kiss coming up fairly soon ;) I know it's a change from the show to have Morgana learn about her magic now, but with the relationship she and Merlin have developed and him seeing how she's suffering with her visions, I feel like he'd want her to know and not feel alone twice as much as in the show. It'll definitely shake things up ;)

Quick note, I'm debating having a poll about a pairing name for Marayna/Arthur :) So, if you'd like, for the next few days (let's say...with the 19th being the last day) drop a review with a pairing name and I'll put a poll up on the 20th for it and announce the winner in the last chapter of this story on the 27th :)

Also, (more to do with Doctor Who than Merlin) a review was left on one of my DW stories about a potential plagiarism, it was left by a 'guest' so I couldn't respond back with the answer nor could I post a new chapter of that story to respond (it being against site rules to post notes as chapters), so I'm putting it here in the hopes the reviewer will see that I saw it and am responding :) I am always very grateful for any concerns about others that might be plagiarizing me and I take every instance very seriously. I know that a few people have started stories that were inspired by my own (you all are awesome and I wish you luck on your stories!) so I understand similarities popping up, because of that I try to classify plagiarism as literal copy/paste/replace the OC name or, in rare cases, very blatant paraphrasing. Every time I receive notice about something like that, I check myself before I bring it to the attention of the readers as to whether it was plagiarism or not and contact the author about the same. Checking this story I can ensure that there was NO plagiarism that I could see, either in copy/pasting or in paraphrasing and reassured the author of that. The closest similarity I could spot was our titles, (mine is Hearts to Hearts, EarthandNadia's is Hearts to Heart, which is understandable as 'heart to heart' is a common phrase) and that was all :) I know how serious an accusation of plagiarism can be and so I wanted to put this here to clear the air so to speak. I do thank the reviewer for their concern, I am always very touched and thankful that readers are watching out for me with how often I was plagiarized last year :') I can confirm though that the story is free of that sort of plagiarism from what I've seen. I wish the author the best with her story :)

Last note, more a general statement, I want to apologize to anyone who's sent me PMs recently. January means year-end scrambling at my job (941s, 940s, W2s, 1099s, and even more forms than I ever wanted to know about...) to get 2013 closed for clients. It's been hectic there and I've had to stay later the last week or so (and am probably going to be stuck staying the next couple weeks too -sigh-), and I've been focusing on trying to finish editing Leena for my Sherlock series (and finish writing His Last Vow) to get her all ready to go for this Sunday ;) So I haven't had a lot of time to sort through my PMs. To anyone who's sent me them, I will be responding most likely on the 19th/20th once I've gotten Leena completely finished and have more time :) I'm SO sorry to anyone still waiting for a reply, I WILL respond as soon as I can :)

Some notes on reviews...

We'll definitely see minor changes in Arthur because of him knowing Marayna yup, we may see a tiny bit more of 'defiant' Arthur because of her ;) I don't want to spoil whether Morgana will be good or evil, but I can say the start of Series 3 will clear that up ;) I think Merlin will try very hard (like in this chapter) to help her stay good, we'll have to wait and see if he succeeds }:)

I was sad Marayna was hurt too :( She definitely has no luck in not getting hurt does she? Lol :) I think she needed a bit of time to process her feelings about Arthur and Sophia, but I think she's also a little more secure in her feelings and Arthur's feelings for her now...so we just might see more of a jealous Marayna in the future than a disheartened one ;)

I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far :) I try to update daily between 6:30-6:50am EST ;)


	13. The Beginning of the End

The Beginning of the End

Marayna laughed at something Merlin told her as they walked through the halls of the castle, it had surprisingly been a rather calm time so far, after Arthur's whole debacle with Sophia. They were thankful that Uther hadn't found out what happened. Arthur had all but demanded the 'true' story when he'd had time to process the fact he'd been enchanted, he'd been rather focused on how he'd hurt Marayna than the fact that Sophia and Aulfric might still be out there. And given he couldn't remember anything after leaving his rooms with Sophia to waking up in them, he wanted to know if there was still a threat to Camelot. They'd told him as much of the truth as they could without earning their own heads on a chopping block, namely that Sophia and Aulfric were intending to barter Arthur's life for immortality. They said they'd followed the trio into the woods, waiting till they could make a move to help. They fibbed a bit in saying that the other party had tried to betray Sophia and Aulfric, that they'd fought back and begun a small fight against each other, leaving them time to rush in and pull Arthur back. They maintained the entire 'knock out' portion though, claiming that he'd struggled against them and they'd had to take drastic measures to get him to cooperate. They'd also assured him that they'd been peeking out at the ongoing fight, that both sides had died in the attack. They hadn't expected Arthur to believe that both sides had offed themselves, but it appeared he took their word for it and, when no new attacks against Camelot were launched in the days after, he seemed to agree that both sides had fallen.

They were a bit disappointed that they'd had to tell him he hadn't actually eloped with Sophia, when he'd demanded why (a bit more forcefully than Merlin would have expected, but then again he could guess by the looks Arthur had shot Marayna that it was because of the fact it hurt HER that he was more upset) they'd said that they weren't sure whether it was safe to tell him magic had been involved, they hadn't wanted Uther to launch a witch hunt of sorts for an enemy that had died. Because they knew that Uther wouldn't believe servants that the threat had passed. Arthur had agreed to that and was letting that particular fib slide for the moment. He...could admit his father did get rather zealous when it came to things like that.

But then the two siblings stopped, wincing and rubbing their heads, hearing a child screaming in their minds, a cry of pain. They looked at each other and quickly took off, following the pull they could feel that came with the scream, someone was in trouble, they needed help, a child…

'_Help!_' they heard the boy shout again.

They slowed to a stop, looking around, trying to spot who it could be, "That way," Marayna took Merlin's arm, pulling him towards the square, feeling the tug coming from there.

'_Help me! Please!_'

They nearly spun in a circle as they reached a small courtyard, knowing that the boy had to be there, but they couldn't see him...and then Marayna gasped, '_Merlin, there!_' she pointed to a small boy in a light green cloak, sitting by a stone ledge, holding his arm, looking at them with startlingly blue eyes, his hair a dark brown.

'_Please,_' the boy spotted them, '_You have to help me._'

Marayna let out a breath as she stared at the boy, she didn't know what it was, but...it felt like something was pulling at her from inside, something that wanted to help him, protect him…

'_Help me,_' he pleaded again, clearly weak and terrified.

Merlin glanced at a group of guards as they entered the square, all of them looking like they were on a mission of sorts, "Search in there," one ordered, "Take the other side. You, did you see a boy run in here?"

'_They're searching for me,_' the boy told them.

'_Why are they after you?_' Merlin asked, unable to imagine what a child could have done that was so bad the guards were being called.

'_They're going to kill me._'

'_He must be a Druid,_' Marayna determined, well, guessed was more like it.

But it made sense though, the boy had to have some sort of magic to be able to speak to them in their mind. They'd worked out from how the Dragon had called to Merlin that it wasn't just THEM who could communicate in their minds but just...those with magic. But it seemed only those with natural magic, like druids and Seers and those born with the potential. They couldn't hear Gaius, even when they'd asked him to try, he'd said it was either because he hadn't practiced in so long or because he had chosen to study magic alongside a few others ages ago as a way to help better their healing and scientific crafts. He hadn't been born with the natural magic but had studied it and learned to use it. If they could hear the boy, he had magic, and she knew the only magic users in Camelot were her and Merlin so it had to be someone visiting. The green cloak...she just got the feeling, as she'd heard that the druids lived in the forests, that the color was synonymous with them.

She took a breath, realizing the boy was injured and knew that he couldn't have done whatever it was that had the guards after him...he was about to be captured (and likely killed) just because he was a Druid. And she just...she turned to Merlin, "I can't let this happen," she told him, before rushing over to a guard.

"Guards!" she called, rushing past them to speak to them, making them turn.

Merlin smirked at his sister, '_This way,_' he called to the boy, seeing her distracting them, giving the boy a chance to get to him without being seen, '_Run. Run!_

The boy got up and ran to him, still clutching his wounded arm.

"And I saw him run that way!" Marayna called, pointing in the opposite direction of where the boy was running, making the guards turn even more as Merlin ushered the boy into the shadows of the pillar he was standing beside, him turning to lean casually against it, trying to seem innocent.

"Thank you," one of the guards nodded at her, the lot of them rushing off with cries of, "Alert the rest of the guards! In there. Quick, down there. We've got 'im."

Marayna waited a moment till the guards disappeared in the wrong direction before joining Merlin at the pillar by the stairs where he'd hidden the boy, "We need to get him somewhere safe," she hissed quickly.

Merlin looked around, "Follow me," he took the boy's hand and they all ran up the stairs, dashing down the halls, till they burst right into Morgana's chambers.

"Merlin!" Morgana cheered, laughing and not at all annoyed with his entrance, "Have you forgotten how to knoc…" she trailed off, spotting the boy, staring at him with the same expression Marayna had had on her face earlier.

Marayna could just tell, Morgana had felt that same pull she did, that...need to help him, "The guards are searching for him," she explained quickly, "I tried to distract them but it won't be long before they've moved from searching the market and courtyards to searching the entire castle."

"We didn't know what to do," Merlin added, stepping more into the room, "This was the safest place…"

Suddenly there was a knock on the door, a guard calling through, "My Lady?" before knocking more, "My Lady?!"

Morgana shook her head out of her surprise, "In there," she ushered Merlin and the boy behind a curtain before she motioned for Gwen and Marayna to appear like they were working on something, folding or sweeping or anything really, before opening the door.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, My Lady," the guard began, not noticing Marayna look up suddenly at the curtain, her heart stopping for a moment. Even with it closed, even with Merlin not saying a word...she knew the boy had just collapsed into Merlin's arms.

"We're searching for a young Druid boy. We believe he came this way..."

"I haven't seen anyone," Morgana shook her head, being sure to speak calmly and slowly so as not to give away anything, "It's just me and mine and Arthur's maids."

The guard nodded, "Best keep the door locked till we find him."

"Of course. Thank you," she closed the door and turned to see Marayna already running to check on the boy, throwing the curtain aside to see that the boy's arm was bleeding, the boy far too pale as he laid limp against Merlin's chest as he sat on the floor from where he had fallen catching the boy.

~8~

It hadn't taken long for word to reach Uther about the boy's escape into Camelot and, soon enough, he'd been demanding the man who had accompanied the boy, another Druid, be executed post-haste. They'd been alerted to that when Arthur had dragged Merlin, on his way to get Gaius to help them treat the boy, off to the execution, claiming that at least _one_ of his servants ought to be there, else his father might have a conniption about the servants slacking off.

Merlin was NOT happy about that, about being forced to stand there as another magic user was killed, but...he'd rather it be him than Marayna forced to witness that so close. He knew, of course, that while he went with Arthur, Marayna and Morgana would be standing in Morgana's chambers with Gwen, watching the square below. The boy's father, or at least they thought it might be him, it was most certainly a guardian at the very least for the boy, had been captured and was set to be executed swiftly in just mere moments.

Marayna shook her head sadly, seeing Arthur standing beside his father, looking for all the world as though he were the loyal son, agreeing with his father, but she could see it in his eyes, even from here, in the line of his mouth, he was unhappy with this decision. From what Merlin had told her of what Arthur had mumbled on the way...the man hadn't done much to harm the guards who captured him, he'd merely thrown them back. They thought, given how it sounded, that the man had done it on purpose, to pull attention away from the boy and give him a chance to escape. It seemed Arthur thought the same, he wasn't seeing some evil sorcerer, he was seeing a man with magic that had merely tried to buy supplies and ended up having to protect his son, or at least someone in his care.

Marayna was thankful that he had taken it that way. It seemed he was holding true to his declaration earlier that he would only punish those who deserved it, those who used their magic for evil...even if he might think a majority did that, he was learning to wait and gather the whole story first before passing judgment. Now if only his father could be the same. Because that was just it, wasn't it? ARTHUR would refused to execute a man who did nothing evil or bad, but Arthur wasn't king yet was he? Uther was the king, and Uther would murder them all if he could.

"People of Camelot," Uther called to the gathering crowd, "The man before you is guilty of using enchantments and magic. Under our law, the sentence for this crime is death. We're still searching for his accomplice. Anyone found harboring the boy is guilty of conspiracy,and will be executed as a traitor," he glared at the Druid man, "Let this serve as a warning to your people."

The Druid simply looked at Uther, sorrow in his eyes, and shook his head, "You have let your fear of magic turn to hate. I pity you."

"I can't watch this," Morgana stepped away, shaking her head and moving to the boy's side.

"No," Marayna agreed, recalling what Merlin had said of his first memory of Camelot, "Nor can I," and turned to join the women on the bed. Morgana cradled the boy, who was awake now and had heard _every word_, while Gwen tried to tend to his wound. Marayna reached out, taking his hand as the boy squeezed it when they heard the axe fall.

'_No!_' he cried out in his mind, a mirror of Morgana's on the wall shattering as a result of his magical outpouring.

Marayna winced as she heard the shout, but...surprisingly...she saw that Morgana did too.

~8~

Merlin sighed as he finally made it to Gaius's chambers, pleased to see the man not there and began gathering as many supplies as he could remember being used for a wound such as the boy's to help tend him. But he froze though when he heard the door open and Gaius clear his throat behind him. He spun around, a semi-innocent grin on his face as he asked, "Do you know much about the Druids?"

"Very little," Gaius replied, eyeing him suspiciously, "They're very secretive people. Especially now they're being hunted by Uther. Merlin, please tell me you and your sister haven't got yourselves mixed up in this."

"Me? Aya? No. Us? Mixed up in what?"

Gaius raised an eyebrow at that, at how he was stuttering and speaking quickly and grinning too widely, "For someone with such a big secret, you are a terrible liar."

"Well, we haven't done anything," he insisted.

"Merlin..."

Merlin sighed, cursing himself for not being as good as his sister in lying, "We heard the boy calling out. He was nowhere to be seen, but we could hear him... like he was inside our minds," he eyed Gaius a moment, "That's never happened except between Aya and I...that IS normal for the Druids though, isn't it? For magic users to be able to do that?"

"Yes, I've heard of this ability," Gaius nodded, he hadn't been able to experience it himself, but he HAD had friends who were naturally born with magic who had told him of the ability they shared, it was one way to determine who had been born with magic and who had studied it, "The Druids look for children with such gifts to serve as apprentices," the hidden meaning of it wasn't lost on Merlin, the Druids searched for any children who could do that as it was a sign of magic, hopefully a magic that appeared before it physically manifested, and took them away so that no one could accuse them of the magic they possessed, so they could protect the children and their gifts, "While they're searching for this boy, you must be especially careful otherwise it'll be your heads on the chopping block."

"We're always careful," Merlin smiled, "You know us."

"Yes, Merlin," Gaius sighed, "Unfortunately I do."

~8~

"How is he?" Merlin asked as Marayna opened the doors to Morgana's chambers to let him in, not even needing him to knock to know it was him, speaking in each other's minds was good for things like that.

"He's just fallen asleep," she told him quietly, ushering him in, checking the hall behind him before shutting the door.

"He's very pale," Morgana added as she stood by the bedside, Gwen kneeling before the boy, taking the supplies Merlin offered her to do her best, "I worry he may have lost a lot of blood."

Merlin stepped closer to Morgana, pulled her into his arms, hugging her tightly. He knew their relationship was safe to express around those in the room. Marayna knew, Morgana had most likely told Gwen after he'd declared his love for her (girls did that right? Told their closest friends when they were in love?). Though he got the impression, judging by the little sweet smile that Gwen was shooting them, that Morgana had certainly told her. And the boy was in no fit state to either notice them or even speak out against them. And...he couldn't help it, he just wanted to comfort her, he hated seeing her so sad and hurt.

"Has he said anything at all?" he looked at his sister.

"No," Marayna shook her head, smiling softly, at least her brother and his love expressed themselves around each other.

Arthur took so much work! She was fairly certain by now that she loved him, and though she knew it was doubtful she'd ever be able to marry him or be accepted as his wife...she would have liked to at least enjoy the moment, enjoy it as long as it lasted before he realized her faults and turned away from her. Like their mother said, it was better to have loved and lost than never love at all and she just...wanted to have a chance to actually and openly be that way to Arthur...or as openly as they could when not around others who would report her to the king.

"He won't even tell us his name," Morgana sighed, closing her eyes, leaning into Merlin's embrace.

He smiled softly, dropping a kiss to her hair, "You know, you were very brave before, sending the guard away. You're the king's ward. You're taking a huge risk helping the boy."

"I wouldn't see an innocent child executed. What harm has he ever done anyone?"

Marayna looked up, eyeing Morgana closely, "It won't matter to Uther if the boy has magic or not, even if he does. Just being associated with someone who has it makes him guilty."

"Uther's wrong," Morgana stated, turning away to step a little out of Merlin's hold.

"You think so?" she _had_ to ask, she had to be sure. This was her_ brother_ and, as much as she trusted Morgana, her natural intuition telling her the woman would never hurt her brother, she had to be sure. She would not see his heart broken because he'd told her he had magic and she turned him away or thought him evil.

"What if magic isn't something you choose? What if it chooses you?" Morgana hesitated, seeing Marayna staring at her with a proud smile, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Marayna took a breath, knowing Gaius didn't want them to tell Morgana nor did he want them to tell her about her dreams, but..._Gwen_ knew, Morgana should know as well, and her actions with the boy proved she could be trusted when it came to things like that, "Morgana...there's something we should tell you about your dreams."

"What?" Morgana frowned, was there something else Merlin hadn't told her about?

"They're not dreams. They're visions. You're a Seer. You...you have magic, just like Merlin and I do."

"Thought as much," Gwen murmured under her breath as she continued to tend to the boy, she'd been suspicious of that for AGES. Merlin had said he'd look into it, it seemed he had. It made quite a bit of sense now and...she felt rather special to have noticed it first.

Morgana blinked, "I know."

Marayna frowned frowned at that, "How? Did you have a vision?"

"No, Merlin told me."

Marayna blinked this time, "Merlin told you did he?" and turned to him, her eyebrow raised in a striking impersonation of Gaius, "And when were you going to tell me you told her, brother dear?"

He gave a caught smile and quickly turned, dashing for the door, "I'm going to get more salve and bandages!" he called before he fled the room.

Marayna waited till the door shut before laughing.

Morgana eyed her, suddenly feeling nervous. She knew the siblings had a close bond, they told each other everything. She liked to think she and Arthur shared a similar bond, not nearly as close as they weren't blood related, but...she could only imagine what Marayna felt knowing that Merlin had told her something and not let Marayna know about it, especially something as important and dangerous to know as their magic, "You're not angry, are you?"

She smiled up at Morgana, "Of course not. I knew he'd tell you the moment I saw how he looked at you."

"And how does he look at me?" Morgana wondered.

Marayna stood and took Morgana's hand, "Like a man would look at his wife."

Morgana blushed at the implication, knowing marriage was a VERY far away thing at the moment, but beamed at the thought that it had to mean Merlin truly loved her, "Good, because I already see you as a future sister," she added, before hesitating, taking a breath, "Can I tell you something?"

"Of course."

"Just before you came to Camelot...I had a dream, a vision I think. You and Arthur were on the throne, Merlin and I were beside you, Gwen and Lancelot and a few other men as knights and ladies of the court. People were _happy_ and...watching a magic show. Uther was gone."

Marayna eyed her a moment, "So _that's_ why you've been pushing me and Arthur together."

Morgana laughed, "You noticed?"

"It's hard not to. Last week you literally pushed me into Arthur's arms," well, more like nudged her a bit too much as they walked down the stairs and she'd tripped on the last one, Arthur catching her immediately before she really fell.

Morgana nodded, "I'm sorry about that but..." she sighed, "Arthur was just...so happy, _everyone_ was, they weren't afraid. And I just...I want that future as soon as possible."

Marayna had to smile at that, only for it to fall when she looked out the window to see _Arthur_ now leading a hunt for the boy, "As do I."

~8~

The next morning things were worse. Morgana had been_ fuming_ when she returned to her chambers from having dinner with Uther and Arthur that night. Uther was on a rampage, doubling the efforts to find the boy, charging Arthur to be the one to do it. She had ranted for a good hour as they tended to the boy, pacing her chambers, cursing Uther ever which way she knew how short of actually cursing him with magic. Before she'd calmed and knelt at the boy's side, worried to help tend to him.

"His fever's gotten worse," Marayna sighed, looking over at her brother as he entered the room.

"How long has he been like this?" Merlin asked the women, they'd stayed with him all night while he'd helped cover for Marayna.

Marayna yawned hallway through her answer of, "Since dawn..."

"I think his wound may be infected," Morgana remarked, frowning at it, it was red, the skin irritated and not looking healthy at all, "We need Gaius before it gets any worse."

"No," Merlin shook his head, "We can't involve Gaius. It's too dangerous. Besides, if he finds out about this, he'll execute us himself."

"We need to get him out of Camelot, and we can't do that while he's sick. We need a physician."

"_I'll_ treat him."

"Merlin, you don't know the first thing about treating an infected wound," Marayna reminded him.

"But I'm a fast learner," he smirked.

"Can't you two just...heal him?" Gwen asked as she dabbed the boy's head with a cold cloth.

The siblings looked at each other, "We um...haven't gotten that far in our studies," Merlin admitted sheepishly...though given how often people attacked, it was probably one of the first things they should have looked into.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door and Morgana quickly closed the curtains around her bed, hiding Gwen and Merlin, but pulling Marayna away and shoving her behind her changing screen as there were too many on the bed to hide her as well, before opening the door, "Arthur!" she greeted the prince as he stood there, oddly enough without the guards, though Morgana could see them checking the other rooms up and down the hall, "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Don't get all excited," he rolled his eyes, "It's not a social call. I'm looking for the Druid boy. I'm afraid I'm going to have to search your chambers."

She scoffed, "You're _not_ searching my chambers."

"Don't take it personally. I have to search the entire castle. Only take a few minutes..."

"I'm not having you mess up my things!"

"I'm not interested in your things, I'm just looking for any evidence that the Druid boy's in the castle."

_'Merlin,_' Marayna called, her eyes wide as she peeked around the changing screen, spotting something by the wall.

'_What?_'

'_His boots, they're sitting out here!_' she could see the curtain around the bed open slightly, Merlin peeking through it and spotting the boots himself.

"Perhaps the Druid boy's hiding in _your_ chambers," Morgana countered, crossing her arms, "They're usually such a mess, you'd never know."

"It's hardly my fault I have a lazy woman and an idiot for servants."

"_Bestepe scós__,_" Merlin whispered, making the boots tiptoe to him.

"What was that?" Arthur asked, hearing someone whispering and trying to look past Morgana.

Marayna's eyes widened and she shouted out the first thing she could think of, "Morgana, is that Arthur at the door?"

Arthur's eyes widened as he stepped more into the room, "Mara?" he called, looking at the thick changing screen he'd heard her voice come from behind.

"Yes, it's Arthur," Morgana replied, smirking, "Do you mind Arthur, Rayna's in the middle of trying some dresses on for me, I hardly think she'll appreciate you 'snooping' around the room while she starkers."

Arthur blushed, tearing his eyes away from the screen, not even realizing how false that statement was in his flushings, Marayna? Willingly try on dresses? He couldn't have been told a more obvious lie.

Marayna laughed, "If you can't even find Merlin, what hope do you have of finding the boy, Artie?"

He glared, "I told you to stop calling me that!"

"And I told you to stop insulting my brother!" she shot back from behind the screen.

"_Gestile scós__,_" Merlin murmured, watching as the boots hid behind a column just as Arthur turned to it.

"Did you hear that?" Arthur frowned.

Marayna tugged at the sleeve of her dress till it came off her shoulder and peeked her head around the screen, her one bare shoulder giving the very worst impression to Arthur ,whose eyes widened, "Hear what?" she smiled innocently at him, though he could see a teasing quality in her eyes.

"Um..." Arthur swallowed, staring at the white skin of her shoulders, he had been right, the slight tan she'd had when she first arrived really had been just from her travels.

"Arthur!" Morgana snapped, trying to sound offended by what he was doing, but having trouble just trying to keep from laughing.

He shook his head, "The sooner we get started, the sooner we'll be finished..."

"_Astýre scós_," Merlin breathed, quieter this time, getting the boots to tiptoe to him.

"Well, I'll save you the trouble," Morgana began.

"Trust me, if I could find him, I would," Arthur sighed.

For some reason Marayna doubted that. Arthur was...well, he WAS a skilled tracker and hunter, if he really wanted to find the Druid boy...he would have by now. Especially with him being right there on the bed. She got the feeling he wasn't exactly trying his hardest in this mission...which was as close to outright defying his father that she'd witnessed personally.

"The Druid boy's hiding behind the curtain," Morgana finished, "I'm sure your father would love to know how you wasted your time by rifling through my things. Go on," she gestured at her bed, practically inviting him to do so.

"So you can have the satisfaction of making me look a fool?" Arthur rolled his eyes, frowning when Marayna started laughing behind the screen, pulling her head back.

Merlin and Gwen smirked at each other as they sat on the bed, trying to keep quiet at how Arthur had completely fallen for that.

Morgana smiled, "In my experience, you don't need any help looking like a fool. What are you waiting for?" she nodded at the bed again, "Take a look."

"Why don't you go back to brushing your hair, or whatever it is that you do all day?" Arthur mock-sneered.

"Bye, Arthur," she called as Arthur turned to leave, "Good luck with the search!" she shut the door and they all started laughing.

~8~

Marayna shook her head, she really should have gone to get the supplies for the boy instead of Merlin, her brother could never lie to Gaius, and while she didn't like to do so, she was better at it than him, due to the far less honorable men she'd come to know during her time with her aunt. He'd sent her a mental message that he was stuck learning about anatomy, that it would take a while before he could get the supplies to them.

Marayna stared at the boy's wound, something about it...niggling her, every time Morgana tended to it actually, which gave her an idea, "Morgana," she began, "How would you like a little lesson in magic right now?"

Morgana looked up, a spark in her eyes, "What kind of lesson? For my dreams?"

"No...I..." she hesitated, trying to figure out how to phrase it, "Sometime I get feelings about things, mum always used to say it was woman's intuition but...I think it might have a bit more to do with magic. I've learned over the years to just sort of go with them..."

Gwen frowned, "And you're getting a feeling about Morgana's magic?"

She nodded, moving to the side of the bed and sitting down beside the noblewoman, "May I?" she held out a hand to Morgana and she put hers in Marayna's, watching curiously as the girl turned her hand over and placed it on the dressings of the boy's wound as gently as she could, "Magic is...like breathing," she began, "It's natural. You just have to...want something and then let your magic help you get it. It reacts to YOU, to what you want. Close your eyes," Morgana nodded and closed her eyes, "Just concentrate. What do you want right now, more than anything?"

"I don't want him hurt," Morgana breathed, thinking of all the times the boy would flinch, how his face would scrunch up in pain.

"Good. Now...imagine when you get hurt, how it heals slowly over time. See that happen in your mind, feel how much you want him better...imagine his wound healing, but quicker, so much quicker, healed by how much _you_ want him to be healthy again..." she watched carefully, testing Morgana...only to see the tiniest flash of gold under Morgana's eye lids and smiled, squeezing Morgana's hand, "Open your eyes."

Morgana's eyes fluttered open and Marayna reached out, slowly unwrapping the bandage around the boy's arm. Morgana and Gwen gasped when they saw the wound was gone, that it was completely healed.

"Oh my..." Morgana breathed.

"You healed him!" Gwen cheered, hugging her Lady, she'd been told of the evils of magic for so long, but meeting Merlin and Marayna, seeing what they'd done for her, but never really seeing them use their magic in front of her for something like this...to see this, to see it be used to help, to heal...it was incredible.

"_I_ healed him?" Morgana looked at Marayna for confirmation.

"You did it," Marayna nodded, "I knew it. You're not just a Seer Morgana, I think you're a healer too."

Morgana smiled, thinking on the words she'd said to Merlin about believing she'd become evil with the power she had if she had magic...to hear that, to hear she was a healer...like Gaius, who always made her feel safe and loved and good as a child...it meant the world to her. Because she'd just been able to help someone, to take away their pain, to make them healthy again. Yes, she'd needed Marayna's help, she'd needed that push and true it was just a cut but...it was a start, it was a hint of the things she might one day be able to do and she was determined to find out more about it, about what healers were capable of. She just...she wanted to do good.

"Thank you," Morgana reached out and hugged Marayna.

'_Thank you Reesa,_' the boy called to her as well, now awake and looking healthy once more.

"You're welcome," Marayna smiled, though she was a bit confused as to who this Reesa person was and why he called her that.

~8~

"Sorry," Merlin called as he finally made it into Morgana's chambers, "Once Gaius gets talking about anatomy, there's no stopping hi…" he trailed off, spotting the boy sitting up in bed, looking healthier and eating a bit of bread and fruit on a tray beside Gwen.

"We know," Morgana smirked, seeing his startled look.

"What happened?" Merlin shook his head, moving over to join them.

"Apparently, Morgana's not just a Seer," Gwen smiled at her Lady.

"She's a Healer Merlin," Marayna added. She really had no idea how that worked but she almost felt like they might be connected somehow. She would most certainly be seeing the Dragon or Gaius about it to find out though.

Merlin's eyes widened as he turned to Morgana, "You healed him?"

Morgana gave a little nod, wondering what he'd think of that. But his wide, proud, awed smile was more than enough to reassure her he was pleased.

"That's incredible," he beamed at her, taking her hand, before getting a sly smirk, _'You're amazing Gana,_' he told her silently in her mind, making her gasp, startled to hear him so intimately. Finding out she'd been able to heal the boy, it meant she had magic, it meant she had a natural magic which meant...they should be able to speak to her in her mind as well, which she confirmed with her gasp.

The boy eyed them a moment, knowing exactly who they were, the Seer Morgana and the prophesized Emrys, the warlock, the Archmage. He knew that they would be a powerful pairing, a powerful _trio_ if Reesa was added to the mix. He tilted his head at the three of them, already he could see the stirrings of the abilities and magics they'd be famous for.

Morgana, the Healer.

Emrys, the Protector.

Reesa, the Fighter.

All three would one day help restore magic back to the land and Emrys had just taken the first step towards showing the good in it. That would be...essential to Morgana's path. The Druids...they had been keeping a very close eye on the Lady Morgana. It was one reason they remained so close to Camelot despite the danger in it, they'd needed to be closer to watch over her. There was doubt that there would ever be as powerful a Seer as Morgana, their own Seers needed to be closer to their object of sight in order to see it, so they remained near the castle to keep watch on her, to try and keep anything that might influence her to become a detriment in their quest of peaceful relations with Camelot, of proving magic was merely a tool, neither good nor evil, away from her.

The Lady Morgana's path would be one riddled with choice, to go one way would mean a peaceful return of magic, to go another would mean endless bloodshed and the prolonging of that event. But they could not tell her her destiny, it was not their fate to do so, and if they should try, there was always a risk that they themselves would influence her too much one way or the other or drive her to turn her back on one path for the other. No, it was best to watch from afar.

'_Thank you, Emrys,_' the boy called out.

Merlin looked over at him, a small frown on his face, '_Emrys? Why do you call me that?_'

_'He called me Reesa before,_' Marayna chimed in, having heard the boy speaking in her brother's mind.

The boy looked at them, '_Among my people, those are your names._'

'_You know who we are?_' Merlin glanced at his sister, '_How?'_

"Can you speak out loud," Marayna asked him, as thrilled as she was to find out this talent among magic users...she'd only ever had her brother's voice in her head so hearing another was a bit unnerving at the moment and would take some getting used to. That and she knew from how Morgana's gaze flickered between the three of them that she could hear the boy as well...but Gwen couldn't. The maidservant seemed to sense something was going on but didn't know what.

Morgana sighed when he remained silent, "I don't know if he can't speak, or...he's just too scared to."

~8~

Merlin and Marayna, contrary to what Arthur believed possible from them, quietly and carefully made their way down the halls towards the Dragon's cave, spotting guards searching for the boy as they went and taking care to be even more wary and alert.

"Hello?" Merlin called when they came to the empty cave.

The Dragon climbed around a corner and roared, startling them. Merlin sighed while Marayna gave a small squeak of fear, not having expected that, making the Dragon chuckle.

"Do you _have_ to do that?" Marayna demanded, her hand on her chest where her heart was pounding, "You scared the life out of me!"

"The young warlock and witch return," he eyed them, "No doubt you're here about the Druid boy."

"How did you know?" Merlin frowned.

"Like you, I hear him speak."

"Why does he call us Emrys and Reesa?"

"Because those are your names."'

Merlin gave him a look as though he really had gone round the bend ages ago like Marayna had once feared, "I'm pretty sure my name's Merlin and hers is Marayna, always has been."

"You have many names."

"Do we?"

Marayna shook her head, "I don't need any more, I've got too many names already," she countered, "Marayna, Rayna, Aya, Mara, Ray..."

"Who calls you Ray?" Merlin looked at her, confused, he'd never heard anyone call her that before, none that he could remember at least.

They hadn't exactly had many friends in Ealdor, even fewer that would give nicknames to them, far less than that were the ones that gave nicknames that they actually liked. There had been quite a few children that called them, well, 'monsters' and 'freaks' and 'evil' at times. It was mostly when something bad happened, even if it was something far beyond the capabilities of two children, the villagers would whisper about them. They always heard though.

"A friend I met in East Anglia," Marayna waved him off, "He was half drunk and thought my name was Raymana. I think he was trying for Romona but kept slurring and eventually just left it as Ray and what does this have to do with the boy?" she shook her head at her brother, realizing they'd gotten off topic, but...it was a bit true, she really did have too many names. But, in a way each was just special and certain sorts of people called her by them. Their mother was really the only one who called her Marayna any longer, everyone else called her Rayna, Merlin was the only one who called her Aya much like Arthur was the only one who called her Mara, and Ray belonged to...

"Right," Merlin spoke, cutting off her thoughts as he looked at the Dragon, "How does the boy know who we are? We've never even met any Druids."

"There is much written about you that you have yet to read," the Dragon sighed, "You should not protect this boy."

"And why not?" Marayna frowned, "He's got magic, that puts him under our protection."

The Dragon had to smile at that, he doubted she even realized what she'd said, how she'd phrased it, as though those with magic were theirs to protect. It was true, though, far more true than she realized, her and her brother's destinies lied with the magical community, they WERE meant to be its protectors, but he hadn't said a thing about it, just that they would help return magic to Camelot. But he also knew that neither of them fully realized the titles they would one day come to bear among those with magic, that was a story for another day.

"He's just like us," Merlin agreed.

"You and the boy are as different as day and night," the Dragon remarked.

"What do you mean?"

Marayna shook her head, "Hold on…Merlin and I are as different as night and day as well. There's something more to this…" she hesitated, feeling something stirring in the back of her mind, "Is this one of the events that changed?"

The Dragon sighed, knowing she was referring to what he'd told her of her birth, how it would change the fate of Camelot and those in it. Already a change was beginning. He was aware Arthur knew at least a partial truth of his mother's fate, it had made him determined to see at least something good in magic. And the Lady Morgana as well, in being in Camelot, Marayna had made it so her brother need not focus entirely on Arthur...it gave him freedom to notice things he wouldn't have, a determination to do things he should have done.

But there were still many series of events to come that would shape the fate of the Lady Morgana and the boy the two were so keen to protect, "It is…but it is not complete."

"What does that mean?" Merlin frowned.

The Dragon looked at them, "The boy's path will split one day," much like Morgana's would though he said nothing about it, they had not asked of Morgana but merely the boy, "A path of dark or a path of light yet there is too much sway to the dark. Heed my words, do not protect the boy."

"But if he still has a_ choice_," Marayna shouted after the Dragon as it he flew off, "Maybe we can sway him to the light…oh never mind," she huffed when he dived down and disappeared in the darkness.

She hated when Dragons just flew off like that.

~8~

Morgana looked up from where she sat beside the boy, her arms around him, him clutching to her, having woken from a nightmare of the execution that had happened only recently, when the door opened and Gwen stepped in with another small tray of food, the boy had woken with quite the appetite now that he was healthy again.

"Thank you Gwen," Morgana smiled, taking the food and offering the bread and cheese to the boy, "Please," she whispered, holding it to him, "Eat something more."

The boy eyed the bread a moment before hesitantly taking it from her, nibbling on it, before starting to truly eat it, almost exactly what he'd done before with the fruit and it broke Morgana's heart to think that he might fear they'd poisoned his meal or something like that.

"There we are," she grinned, absently running her hand through the boy's hair.

He looked up at her with his blue eyes, '_Thank you Morgana._'

She smiled at that and glanced at Gwen as she sat at the foot of the bed, curious about something, "Did you hear that?"

"What?" Gwen looked over.

"He said my name."

"Did he? I didn't hear anything."

"He said it in my mind…like when Merlin and Marayna speak," she added, thinking on that. It had probably been a bit of a stretch on her part to think Gwen might have some magic in her as well. It just felt like the girl was learning that everyone around her had magic, Merlin, Marayna, Morgana, so why not wonder if Gwen had it too, but it seemed not so.

Gwen gave a smile and sighed, "You're actually making me jealous I don't have magic."

Morgana laughed at that, that was never something anyone in Camelot would think to hear in such a place, "Then we've taken the first step to showing the good of magic then."

"Yes," Gwen nodded, determined to prove to others, when the time came, that magic _could_ be good, not evil as Uther wanted everyone to believe. She would vouch for her Lady, for her friends, when the truth one day came out.

There was a knock on the door as a voice hissed, "It's us."

Merlin.

Gwen got up and opened the door, letting them in.

"How is he doing?" Marayna asked, making her way to Morgana's side. She couldn't explain it, but…there was _something_ about the boy that made her want to protect him, much like she knew Morgana felt as well. It was like this little pull to him, she really didn't know what it was, whether it was magic or something else, but it was strong. For a moment though, she did wonder if it was because he reminded her so much of Merlin growing up, dark hair, light eyes, magical...that could be it. It might even explain why Morgana was so attached to him as well, if she was seeing a younger version of Merlin or something like that.

She honestly didn't know.

Morgana gave a little smile, "He's eating, which is good, but he still hasn't spoken…not out loud."

They glanced at the boy, watching him eat the last of his bread and start to move onto the cheese. He seemed better now, stronger, which meant it was safe to move him, and they'd have to do it soon before Uther turned it into a witch hunt. Unfortunately…the only one they knew with any experience sneaking a magic user in and out of Camelot…was Gaius and, as much as they didn't want to involve him, fearing for his safety should anyone find out, they needed help.

~8~

"The search for this Druid boy is becoming a real nuisance," Gaius muttered as he puttered around his work area, Merlin and Marayna sitting at the table, watching him even as they absently helped mix some liquids and crush some herbs, "With all the extra security around the castle, it's taking me twice as long to do my round. Is that everything?"

Marayna took a breath, "Uncle…there's something you should know…"

And then Merlin blurted out, "Morgana's hiding the Druid boy in her chambers."

Gaius just looked at them as though he half-expected the boy to be hiding, that _they_ had hidden him as well, but just slightly surprised…and not really surprised at all…that they'd involved Morgana, "When you say that Morgana's hiding the Druid boy, I take that means that you're helping her?"

"Sort of."

"Merlin, you promised me that you two wouldn't get involved."

"I know. I'm sorry."

"It's not like we could just sit there and do nothing," Marayna shook her head, "He's a little _boy_!"

"Every guard in Camelot is searching for this boy, and you're harboring him under their very noses," Gaius shook his head, "Can't you see how dangerous that is? What were you thinking of?"

"Were we supposed to hand him over to the guards to be executed?" Merlin defended.

"You think you can save this boy? What happens if you're caught? Who's going to save you?"

"You're saying it's wrong to harbor a young magician?"

"Talk about the pot calling the kettle black," Marayna muttered, giving their uncle a rather pointed look. For all his preaching, he wasn't exactly practicing it was he. How could he expect them to really listen to things like that when he himself was proving an example against it? It was even worse for Gaius, he was 'harboring' TWO magic users.

"The difference is," Gaius sighed, "That your magic is still secret. Though it's a wonder how, considering how careless you both are."

"I'm a decent liar," Marayna shrugged, "And Arthur is _very_ thick."

"The boy was _hurt_," Merlin cut in, "He was really sick till Morgana healed him and…"

"Morgana did what?!" Gaius shouted, giving them a glare, "You told her about her magic didn't you? After I specifically told you both _not_ to!"

"We _had_ to," Marayna defended, not about to let Merlin get in even more trouble, even though HE had been the one to actually tell her, SHE had 'told' her as well, "As much as I respect you Uncle and value your knowledge...this isn't something you have any sort of experience in. YOU have no idea what it is like to grow up with magic in a time where magic is _hated_," she gave him a sad look, making him hesitate because...he truly DIDN'T know what that was like. He'd grown up when magic was thriving and accepted and practiced everywhere, where one could wander the market and see a Druid healing someone or a magician playing tricks for the children, where it was such a common sight you hardly noticed. Yes, he _lived_ in a time where it was hated, but he did _not_ know what it was like to grow up like that, "You don't know what you start to think about yourself when you can do something others can't and no one explains it to you."

Their mother had tried her hardest to not tell them about the magic, trying to play off their abilities as strange occurrences, but making them swear not to do it around others or even speak of it. She had believed if they didn't know it was magic then they couldn't be doing magic. But when they grew stronger, their magic more wild, she'd had to tell them. But they had spent quite a few years so afraid of themselves, believing what their villagers called them behind their backs…neither of them wanted Morgana to feel that way, especially having been raised under Uther, she must have heard worse even if it wasn't directed at her.

"Please," Merlin added quietly, seeing Gaius calm down a little in his shock at having been put in his place by his niece, "We need your help to get him out."

"You want me to risk my neck, too?" he sighed, "I wish the boy no harm, but it's too dangerous."

"Well that's lovely," Marayna said dryly, "Do be sure to keep yourself back from the pyre when we burn after getting caught trying to get him out on our own, with no experience. Because we WILL help him uncle. No matter what, we will do our best, with or without your help."

Merlin nodded, "You didn't turn your back on us. Please don't turn your back on him."

Gaius looked at them for a long while, seeing the determination in their eyes, and sat down. Even if he physically couldn't help them...he could still help them plan.

~8~

In the market, Morgana, Merlin, and Gwen were watching the guards search, Marayna remaining in Morgana's rooms should anyone try to search them while they were out there. They knew it would be too suspicious for Morgana to remain in her rooms for the last few days, she had to step out, be seen, so as to avoid suspicion.

"Halt there!" a guard stopped a man pulling a cart through the gate, searching it.

"The guards are searching everyone leaving the town," Gwen sighed.

"There_ is_ another way out," Merlin told them quietly, "There's a secret door in the armory. It leads to the lower town. Aya and I'll take the boy out that way."

"No," Morgana shook her head, clasping her hands together so as to avoid the desire she felt to take his hand and squeeze it, there were too many people around to see it, "It's too dangerous. _I'll_ do it."

"Morgana," he murmured quietly, "Aya and I, we have more experience in using our magic to get in and out of things…"

"But if you are caught, Uther will execute you, whether he sees you 'getting in and out' or not. The boy's _my_ responsibility. I'll smuggle him out of the castle."

He sighed, but he could see her point. She had lived in Camelot all her life, she'd be better able to improvise, use back ways, she'd know the guards reactions, and…heaven forbid…if she got caught, Uther would never execute _her_. Lock her in the dungeons for the rest of her life, but not kill her.

...and they could always rescue her from the dungeons.

"You'll need a key for the door," he gave in, knowing for either her or the boy to use magic would be disastrous. A missing key could explain an open door as easily as magic, though the key wouldn't get you killed for it.

"Who has it?"

"Arthur," he pointed at Morgana as she opened her mouth to suggest a plan, "And no, we are _not_ using my sister's 'womanly wiles' to get it from him."

Morgana sighed, she was hoping to tease Arthur with it should Marayna succeed in 'seducing' the key out of his hold. Though, now that she thought about it, that might be too obvious and fingers would point too easily.

~8~

Merlin and Marayna stood behind Arthur that night as he ate the soup they'd brought him for dinner. They kept glancing at the keys stuck to his belt. They'd tried all night to sneak it off him, but had had no luck doing it the normal way. It was time to resort to magic.

"_Inbringe_," Merlin whispered, his eyes glowing golden, "_Cume mec_."

"Is there any bread?" Arthur asked as the spell caused the keys to float off his belt.

"Right here," Marayna stepped up, handing him some bread, trying to distract him from the keys right behind his head, jingling.

He frowned, hearing them, and turned, the keys moving with him, "What was that?"

"What?" Merlin stiffened, standing there, the picture of innocence.

"There was a sound."

"There was?" Marayna joined in, pouring him something to drink.

Merlin glanced at the keys, moving to follow Arthur as he stood up, trying to search out the sound which was really just them jingling behind him, "What is that? Can't you hear it?!"

"I can't hear anything," Merlin shook his head.

"Are you deaf? It's like a...jangling sound…" he walked towards Merlin, the keys following him, too far away for Marayna to reach without being noticed as she realized her brother was doing it to have a bit of fun with the prince.

"There!" she shouted, pointing towards the door.

"What?" Arthur spun around as Merlin grabbed the keys.

"I thought I saw something," Marayna shrugged, this time it being her turn to look innocent.

Merlin, grinning at the chance to play a prank on Arthur, looked at a spoon which levitated before falling into Arthur's soup.

"What was that?" Arthur spun around.

"What was what?" Merlin asked.

"A different sound, like a...like a splash."

Marayna laughed and patted his arm, pushing him lightly back into his chair, "I think this whole search is starting to get to you dear, you're starting to hear things now," she patted his head, almost mock-patronizingly, "Eat your soup Artie."

Arthur rolled his eyes, grumbling to himself about deaf servants, before eating his soup once more, cautiously glancing around the room for more noises as his servants exchanged smug smiles behind him.

~8~

Morgana stood in her chambers with the boy beside her, dressed in Marayna's travelling clothes, a white tunic and black leggings, with boots, trying to look as different from her average noble self as possible, needing to be able to move quickly which a dress wouldn't afford. She could see now why Marayna disliked dresses, especially with all the running around she and Merlin had to do after Arthur.

"It'll have to do," she murmured to herself as Gwen stood there with a cloak over her arms. She sighed, looking at Gwen, "I feel I've put you in danger without ever stopping to ask how you feel about it. I'm sorry."

Gwen just smiled, "I know how it feels to face the threat of execution. And I wouldn't wish that on anyone. Especially not on a child, and especially not now that I know the truth," she added, smiling at the boy. She knew the truth, magic was _not_ evil and she couldn't bear the thought of another innocent person losing their life to Uther's insanity.

There was a knock, "It's us," Marayna called quietly and Gwen rushed to let them in.

"We've got the…" Merlin started, before stopping dead, his eyes wide as he stared at Morgana. He'd seen her in dresses, even in her nightdress…but…in just a tunic and leggings…her legs…

Marayna rolled her eyes even as Morgana blushed under Merlin's desirous stare and punched her brother on the arm, "There's a time and a place to gawk at your beloved Merlin."

Merlin shook his head, "Right, right, yes…" he glanced at Morgana again, clearing his throat and shifting, Morgana blushing more to hear him not denying his sister calling her 'his beloved' or anything, "Sorry."

Morgana just smiled, before the boy clutched her hand, anxious. She smiled down at him, running a hand through his hair, "We're going to get you out of Camelot. I won't let anything bad happen to you. I promise."

"Are you ready?" Marayna asked.

Morgana nodded, "Did you get the keys?"

Merlin handed them over, "Yeah. Er, the door is behind the shield at the far end of the armory."

"I'll pack you some food and water for the journey," Gwen told them, rushing over to the table to pack some food for them.

"I wish you'd let one of us go with you," Merlin sighed, looking at Morgana softly.

She smiled at his concern, "If Uther found even one of you with me…" she shook her head, "I couldn't bear it if something happened to you Merlin," she glanced at Marayna, "And I know you and Arthur would be devastated if Rayna was hurt…"

They nodded, they didn't like it, but of all of them, Morgana had the least chance of being executed. And if the absolute worst came to it, they could cry enchantment, though all of them were loathe to do that and help continue to perpetuate the stereotype that magic was always used for selfish gain and evil.

"Be careful," Gwen handed over the food.

Morgana nodded, taking a breath and the keys before stepping towards the door, pausing to give Merlin a quick kiss on the cheek before dashing out into the hall with the boy, leaving them to wait.

~8~

Gwen paced through Morgana's chambers, "I hope they're ok. Morgana really cares about the boy. I've never seen her this way with anyone," well, with anyone she'd just met at least, she was rather caring with those close to her.

"I'm sure she just wants to protect him," Merlin had to smile, that was his Gana.

Marayna though, looked up, no, it was more than that. It was like…the boy was special, would be special, to the three of them. She didn't know how or why, but she knew both she and Morgana felt the same, the boy _had_ to be kept safe. Only now she knew more why. If they could show him mercy, show him kindness…he'd be one step closer to the path of light, the Dragon would be wrong, she would make sure of that.

That boy would _not_ fall to the evils Uther preached magic to be.

Her thoughts were cut off the moment the warning bells began to sound. The three of them looked up, alarmed, able to guess exactly what had set them off. They could only pray Morgana had made it to the horse they'd fed and watered for her, she _had_ to be alright. She had to be.

'_Goodbye Emrys,_' they heard the boy in their minds, '_Goodbye Reesa._'

Merlin and Marayna exchanged a glance, able to tell that, wherever Morgana and the boy were...they were fleeing now.

~8~

Uther had _not_ been happy to find that Morgana had been the one to hide the boy and try to help him escape. She'd been caught. A servant had seen her escaping with the boy and run to Arthur. Marayna had closed her eyes at that, adding another note to her long list of things to change. They would have to devise a way, a path, right from the castle to the forests, that just a select few would know about to avoid situations like these. Or at least have servants who were more sympathetic as to not run screaming about the laws when _a child's life_ was at stake.

Morgana had begged and pleaded with Uther to try and spare the boy, but the man's temper knew no bounds. He'd nearly attacked Morgana herself, Morgana having to sit in Merlin's lap and tell him to hold her just to keep the boy from jumping up to go murder the king himself when he found out later. He could understand why Morgana sometimes feared the idea of having magic now. Knowing how bad Uther was being, how terrible, having the power to change it, to stop all the terror…but also knowing that to do so would devastate Arthur...it was the only thing holding them back.

"I promised that I wouldn't let anything bad happen," Morgana swallowed guiltily, tears in her eyes as she sat on Merlin's lap, the boy holding her close with his arms around her.

"You can't blame yourself," he kissed her temple, "You tried your best."

"It's not enough."

"He's in jail now," Merlin sighed, resting his head on hers, "There's nothing more we can do."

"Oh ye of such little faith brother," Marayna smiled, "I'm not about to let another child die at Uther's hands," she stood up, "Are you with me?" she held out her hand.

He grinned, taking it, gently shifting Morgana onto his chair as he stood, "Always," he smirked, "Where you go, I go."

"And me," Morgana stood up, putting her hand on top of theirs.

"Me as well," Gwen added her hand.

"Wonderful," Marayna smiled, "Because you see…those measly metal bars can scarcely hold a 'sorcerer.' Uther really should know that by now."

It was truly hard to say that as it was entirely true. Because all those people he'd had in those cells during the Purge…they _hadn't_ escaped, because many of them were just family, friends, acquaintances of those who had even been just accused of being 'sorcerers.' They couldn't escape, and they were killed as a result. It was also sickening to think that, all those people who were believed to be 'sorcerers' who hadn't escaped...well, didn't that prove they _weren't_ magic users if they had no magic to escape with? No one seemed to realize that though.

But that child, that little boy, they'd save him or die trying.

~8~

Arthur stepped into his room to see Morgana, Merlin, Marayna, and Gwen waiting for him and rolled his eyes, "Make yourself at home," he gestured sarcastically to the room, they were already 'at home' with Morgana seated on an armchair before the fireplace, Gwen beside her but slightly behind, with Merlin resting his arm on the top of the chair, Marayna leaning against the bedpost with her arms crossed...she seemed to like doing that, leaning and crossing her arms.

Marayna looked at Morgana, who nodded, before she pushed off the post and walked over to Arthur. They had all spoken and, upon a vote, decided she should be the one to talk to Arthur. Morgana had had a secretive little smile on her face that made Marayna think she might have seen many similar things to this in her dreams, her swaying Arthur's decisions. Well…it was time to find out.

"Are you really going to let your father execute that little boy?" she began.

Arthur nearly scoffed, "You're lucky he's not executing _Morgana_," he glanced at her, "Are you telling me he really _was_ behind the curtain when I came to search your chambers?"

Marayna rolled her eyes, "Bleeding, wounded, and dying, thanks for the concern _My Lord_," she snapped, making him flinch, before sighing, "I _know_ you don't want to see him killed…"

"What I want doesn't matter. My father's made up his mind. He won't be talked out of it," he sighed, "I tried. I really DID try Mara."

"I know," she said softly, looking into his eyes, she knew he'd try to argue against it, she knew Arthur. As much as she hated to admit it, she was starting to know him very well, better and better each day. He was a fair hunter, he would have found the boy within hours if he was really trying. It was her opinion he was trying to delay the hunt as long as he could to give the boy a chance to escape, "Words can only go so far Arthur, actions DO speak louder than them."

"Whatever you're thinking, it's _not_ going to happen," he shook his head.

"What's so hard about getting him to the forest, back to the Druids? He'd be safe and they could protect him…"

"No," he shook his head firmer, "Forget it."

If she got caught, Uther would kill her outright, no talking, no hesitation, she'd be dead and he…he couldn't bear the thought of that. He felt guilty enough HE had tried to kill her not long ago, he'd...he'd made a promise to himself never to hurt her like that again, never to let her be hurt like that. He had promised he'd do all he could to protect her, he'd promised _himself_ he would protect her.

"If you let him die, Arthur, if you let an innocent child die," she shook her head, "Then you're..."

"It's too late," he cut in, not wanting to hear what she would think of him for this, "He's been caught. I have no choice."

"You _always_ have a choice. This one…this one is between what's right and what's easy. Do you save the life of a boy whose only crime is being a Druid? Or do you play the dutiful son and follow your father's orders? But think how this decision will affect your future Arthur, will this be how you rule as king? Just like your father?"

"I will _not_ betray him," he said firmly.

"So you would betray your people then?" she countered, "I thought you cared more for the value of a child's life after you helped the orphans, but I suppose I was wrong. I wish you a merry old reign then _My Lord_."

And with that, she turned and walked out of the room, leaving Arthur torn, but also disheartened that she saw his reign as being one of darkness, of his people unhappy with him…afraid of him…like he knew they were his father. He had seen what that sort of reign was like...he would rather be loved than feared.

"How does she do that?" he asked the other three, she always managed to walk away, leaving him either stunned, speechless, or thoughtful, before he could even form an argument.

"No idea," Merlin shrugged.

He really_ didn't_ know, she hadn't really done much of that to him in Ealdor, whether it was because they'd often been on the same page and it just wasn't necessary or because he hadn't been firm enough not to give into her requests he didn't know. But, it was almost like coming to Camelot, discovering her own destiny had made her…wiser. He could see it, in those moments when she one-upped Arthur, when she really got him to THINK about things...he could see her being the wonderful Queen the Dragon spoke of, the woman who could handle Arthur, who could make Camelot the golden time they'd been promised.

~8~

Merlin put his arm around his sister as they walked through the square, seeing the executioner sharpening his axe. She hadn't slept at all that night, just sat up thinking, so he hadn't slept either. They headed to Arthur's chambers, entering to see Morgana already there with Arthur…who stopped talking as soon as he saw Marayna.

"Sorry," Merlin began, confused, while Marayna frowned, "Were we interrupting something?"

"Nothing you need concern yourself with," Arthur said quickly, "Go make yourselves useful, muck out my horses."

"I trust Merlin," Morgana cut in, "And I know you want Marayna to know about this. You're doing it for her after all."

"Yes," Arthur rolled his eyes, "Thank you for saying that out loud," he sighed and motioned for them to enter, "We're going to break the Druid boy out of the dungeons."

Marayna smiled widely, launching herself at him in a hug that knocked him back a few feet. Arthur seemed a bit surprised at the reaction, but his arms wound around her quickly despite it, starting to smile as he held her tighter, knowing she would probably pull away too soon like she had with their kiss (which he really DID need to speak to her about) and just...wanting to savor the moment.

Morgana smirked with a smug look, she'd told him Marayna would do that, but he hadn't believed her.

Merlin though just looked at Morgana, "Are you sure?"

"We have to," she nodded, "Uther's going to execute him at dawn."

"I mean..." he swallowed hard, wanting so badly to touch her but knowing that Arthur, while clearly taken with Marayna, also had a bit of a soft spot for Morgana, as a sister to him, and to see her with his servant…well, they both wanted time to just be themselves and be together as opposed to hearing Arthur's comments on it. Not that they couldn't throw back comments of their own about him and Marayna, but…they'd declared their feelings for each other, they knew Arthur had not, not yet, "It's too dangerous. You've already been caught once, and if the king catches you a second time he'll never forgive you."

"I'm not worried for myself."

"Merlin's right," Arthur said as Marayna let go and stepped back, feeling very much like Morgana had when she'd kissed Merlin after the chalice had been poisoned, "When my father finds out the boy's escaped, he will suspect you being involved."

"It's suicide," Merlin agreed.

"So go to Uther and apologize," Marayna shrugged, not seeing an issue, "If you're dining with him, he can't blame you should the boy escape."

Morgana smiled, "That's genius."

Arthur nodded, "Merlin and Mara will take your place in helping me."

"Us?" Merlin looked over.

"I'm going to take the boy out through the burial vaults. There's a tunnel that leads beyond the city walls. One of you will get my horse from the stables and meet me there while the other brings rope and a hook for the grate that covers the entrance to the tunnel."

Merlin and Marayna looked at each other before nodding, they knew if they didn't help Arthur would surely be caught. Neither wanted that, nor did they want the boy to die. It had been their intention to help the boy all along, so of course they agreed.

~8~

"I need to know why you told us not to protect the boy," Merlin called as he tugged Marayna down to the Dragon's cave. She had been very determined to save the boy and get everything set up right that very moment, but Merlin, while he_ did_ want to save him, there was that niggling in the back of his mind, what the Dragon had said to them…and he didn't just have Aya to worry about, but Morgana…if that dark path the Dragon had spoken of led the boy to harm either woman…he needed to know.

"You seek my counsel and yet you choose to ignore it," the Dragon remarked.

"Just tell me why."

"If the boy lives, you may not be able to fulfill your destinies."

"What role does he have in our destinies?" Marayna shook her head, "You said it's my destiny to marry Arthur like it's Merlin's to protect him."

"Then you have the answer you seek."

Merlin blinked, "You're telling me that little boy is going to what, kill Arthur and steal Aya away?"

Marayna grimaced, the boy was a child! That would be entirely wrong and, by the time he was even old enough to steal anyone away she would have hoped, if the Dragon was right, that she'd already be married by then and there would be no reason for her to be interested in another man once married.

"It seems that is up to you," the Dragon stated, neither answering both questions nor denying them.

"No," Marayna shook her head, something inside her telling her that the Dragon, for all his knowledge was _wrong_, "You can't know that for certain. You said there were two paths!"

"You have it in your power to prevent a great evil," the Dragon sighed.

"There must be another way!" Merlin argued, knowing how much the boy meant to Marayna and Morgana, "The future isn't set in stone!"

"You _must_ let the boy die."

"No!" Marayna shouted, turning to storm back up the stairs.

The Dragon was wrong. He _had_ to be. He'd said there were two paths, the path of dark, where she _could_ believe the boy might kill Arthur one day, and the path of light, where she couldn't see it happening. They just had to make sure he ended up on the right path.

They had to.

Because she couldn't bear the thought of losing Arthur, even years in the future.

~8~

Merlin sat in Gaius's chambers, Marayna with Morgana and Gwen, and couldn't help but think about what the Dragon had said, about Marayna's reaction to it, "I assume it's the plight of the Druid boy that's causing your forehead to wrinkle like a lizard's elbow," Gaius remarked, noting his frown.

"Would you let something terrible happen if it meant you'd stop something even worse happening in the future?" Merlin wondered.

"I suppose it depends on what the 'terrible' and 'even worse' things were."

"One of them's bad, really bad. And the other, it's...unthinkable."

"It sounds as if you've already made your decision. You can only do what you believe to be right, Merlin. I just hope it doesn't involve you putting yourself or Rayna in terrible danger."

Merlin looked at him, "Gaius…if you had known what Uther would do when Ygraine died, to all those who had magic, when he first sought the deal with Nimueh, would you have done more to stop him?"

Gaius sighed, "It depends what you mean by stop him. Would I have argued, yes, would I have gone to Nimueh, found a Seer, shown them what would happen. Yes. I would have done all I could short of killing Uther to stop the Purge."

"But you _wouldn't_ have killed him?"

"No. As hard as it is to believe, Uther…he was my friend."

Merlin frowned, "Was?"

"_Is_…in a way," he corrected hesitantly, "Buried within his heart I believe he still considers me one as well."

Merlin nodded, thinking on that. If Gaius, who knew Uther would one day kill thousands in grief, wouldn't kill the king to save them…how could he just let a little boy die because he MIGHT one day kill Arthur…

He couldn't.

~8~

"Thank you," Morgana called as Gwen helped her dress for dinner.

Marayna was sitting off to the side, thinking quietly about what the Dragon had said. She knew, the boy…he wouldn't kill Arthur, not after the man risked his life to save him, he'd be indebted, he wouldn't break an oath like that. She just had to make sure that sweet little boy continued to be sweet, growing into a good-hearted, honorable man.

Morgana turned to see Gwen frowning, "What is it? What's wrong?"

"You're risking so much for this boy," Gwen answered, "You don't know anything about him. You don't even know his name."

"There's a bond between us," Morgana shrugged, unable to think of how else to describe it.

"Stronger than the bond you have with Uther?"

Marayna scoffed, "I would think she'd have a stronger bond with a leaper than the one she has with Uther."

Morgana laughed a little at that, before sighing, thinking of the bond, "It's like nothing I've ever felt before. Perhaps I was always meant to help him."

"How can that be?" Gwen asked.

"I don't know. I can't explain it."

"Your magic," Marayna called, getting up to go over to Morgana, "You dream the future. It's not a hard leap to imagine you might be more sensitive to it as well. Perhaps, one day, the boy will return, and you sense that about him. I felt the same," Marayna admitted quietly, "I saw him in the square and…" she shook her head, "I didn't even think, I just...HAD to help him."

Morgana nodded, that was how she'd felt when they'd run into her chambers with the boy. Just one look and she'd had to help, "I must go to Uther," she sighed, glancing out the window at the darkening sky.

"And I have to get that rope and hook," Marayna nodded, heading for the door.

"Good luck," Gwen called after them.

~8~

Arthur's plan had worked out near flawlessly. He had managed to knock out the guards with a little bit of smoke, getting the boy out of the dungeons and leading him to the tunnel, only for the guards to wake mere minutes later and sound the alarm.

But luckily, both Merlin and Marayna were waiting at the end of the tunnel with the rope, hook, and horse. They got the grate off in no time, getting the boy onto a horse in front of Arthur before the man rode off with the boy into the woods, telling them to say he'd gone hunting to explain his absence as the warning bells went off.

They had learned one thing though, when Arthur came back, the boy's name…was Mordred.

A/N: So now we know Marayna's name among the Druids :) I really have no idea where it came from lol, I think I sort of just continued with something that almost sounded like the end of Merlin's name :) But...Marayna also seems to ahve some sort of bond with Mordred, I wonder how that will affect her future }:) As for Morgana though, I really wanted to give her some sort of extra thing that I felt fit her personality, a manifestation of her desires to help the ones that Uther wants to kill, I can say there's more to her being a Healer that we'll find later ;)

Poor Marayna though, next chapter will give her quite a few nightmares }:)

Some notes on reviews...

I'm glad you're enjoying the story :) Morgana's future will be very affecting of Merlin and Marayna if she turns evil, we'll have to wait and see though }:) For updating, I can say that the next story in the series will be updated only hours after one series ends ;) So we'll get a double whammy of Merlin and Marayna on a few days :)

Oh I can say Arthur will find out MUCH earlier about the magic, but I won't say when }:) We'll have to wait and see about Morgana though ;)

There'll be quite a bit of sneaking around for Arthur and Marayna, especially with Uther around. I think they'll need to be very tricky in keeping things from the King, but I can also say that it might be quite hard at times }:)


	14. Enchanted

Enchanted

Marayna sighed, managing to stifle a yawn as she listened to her uncle drone on and on about anatomy. Apparently, since Merlin had shown such an_ interest_ in the subject, Gaius had deemed it necessary for her to learn it as well. Much to her utter dismay. She was a fair hand at herbs and helping tend to wounds, often visiting the physician of East Anglia to escape the prince. She'd seen her fair share of wounds and illnesses while there, the knights from practice, the townspeople...but she wasn't entirely interested in learning more about it. She sort of absorbed it by osmosis, picking things up here or there, but really, healing was not her expertise nor was healing magic. She'd noticed, she and Merlin, while paired together were very strong, their magic working in tandem with each other, however, she'd also noticed that, when apart, their magic took on very distinct qualities. At first, they'd thought it was just that Merlin was more prone to accidental magic as he was often accident prone in life as well, while she was just more focused and in control as she was usually the one keeping him straight. However, after talking to the Dragon as often as she had, she was starting to think, perhaps, they both just utilized different types of natural magic based on their personalities.

Merlin was often the first to react to something, using the magic to stop an attack or protect someone else, defensively. He rarely ever used his magic to openly attack someone unless the situation was dire, like with the Sidhe. He was protective by nature, the true epitome of the older brother, wanting to protect those he cared about, not let anyone get hurt. And his magic seemed to reflect that. It happened when he tried to stop people from being hurt. The times when he really had to concentrate his magic was when he was actively trying to 'attack' someone, like Lady Helen.

She, on the other hand, was more of a 'spitfire' as her mother used to say. She and Merlin weren't very accepted in their village, only really Will talking to them at times. She hated when the other children picked on her or Merlin but, unlike her brother who would only rise to the bait when defending her because she started in on them, she did not sit by at all. She fought back, she stuck up for him, she had no qualms pushing a boy into the mud or pulling a girl's hair to get them to stop. She was more active where Merlin was passive, more offensive where he was defensive. She had to admit, she rather liked a fight or two. Her time in East Anglia, the friends she'd made, had made her see how exciting and invigorating a fight could be, especially when won. She'd rather take an active role in stopping someone than just block an attack. And her magic seemed to agree. Perhaps that was why her magic was more controlled, it needed to be more concentrated to launch an attack rather than reactively defending.

When they worked together though they were at their best, offensive and defensive, no one stood a chance between them.

And now, she had to think, Morgana fit in with them as well. She wasn't quite sure what Morgana was, active, passive, or something else entirely. She knew Morgana hated seeing injustice happen, she would fight, but she also was protective, as they'd seen with Mordred, but then...given her healing abilities, her natural ones and her sight, she was something else entirely. It was like...if anyone got past her and Merlin, Morgana would be the last line of defense, whether as a healer of the wounded or seeing an attack coming and stopping it. They really did make quite the team. And truly, she could see the relationship between Merlin and Morgana growing, they were perfectly matched, both more defensive and helpful of others.

She'd mentioned it to Merlin the other day, he'd just grinned and said like her and Arthur were. To which she wasn't sure what he was saying. He'd mentioned, if it was true, then she and Arthur were quite the pair as well. Both of them were more likely to take a stand, to fight, to actively attack in order to defend. They fit together just as well as he and Morgana did.

She couldn't think much on that as she yawned, this time unable to hide it.

"Am I boring you?" Gaius asked, giving her the 'eyebrow of doom' as they liked to call it.

"Not at all," she smiled cheekily, "It's so_ thrilling_ to find out what fingernails are made of."

He rolled his eyes but sighed and smiled he should have expected this from her, at least she'd stayed awake, Merlin had fallen asleep, "Off you go," he gestured to the door, "I'm sure Arthur needs you and Merlin needs you to keep him from murdering the prince in his sleep by now."

She laughed, hopping up and running out, who would have thought she'd be eager to help muck out the stables if it meant not having to endure another lecture.

~8~

Arthur stood in his quarters, his arms crossed as he eyed his two servants as they stood before him, both covered from head to toe in dung. To be honest, the only part of them he could see clearly were their eyes, everything else, from their skin to clothes was nearly black from the sheer amount of dung clinging to them.

"Do I want to know what happened?" he asked, sighing.

Marayna smirked and shook her head.

They'd gotten into a dung war in the stables. Well, actually it had started with them throwing dung at the new stable hand, a rather irritating boy who thought he knew everything about horses...even when he didn't know how to properly saddle one. He'd been lounging around, watching them work and commenting repeatedly on their efforts. And then he'd decided that a great way to 'motivate them' was to start in on their outfits. Merlin was very particular about his neckerchief and she already hated her dress so really, it wasn't any surprise that said stable hand had ended up with varying bits of dung flung at him from random directions, most of which couldn't possibly have come from them, oh no, not from them.

It wasn't like they had magic and could make the bits fly at the boy from all directions.

Not at all.

Unfortunately one thing had led to another and before they knew it, they were flinging dung at each other as well, one random fling gone awry and soon enough they were both at war with each other, but a friendly war, not a true war…no, that would have seen one of them not walk out alive. Not that they ever let themselves get that cross with each other, they were all each other had, so it had been left to the dung to be used as their only weapon and it wasn't until one of the knights had been passing and seen them that they had realized they were covered in mud and dung. They'd actually started laughing at that rather hard, because the knight was staring at them as though they'd gone completely mad, which they might have.

They'd gotten up and, still covered in the grime and waste, continued to muck out the stables as though nothing were wrong…before proceeding to head back to the castle, unmindful of the stares they were receiving from noble and villager alike. She knew why Merlin was so calm and unaffected, his mind seemed to forever be on Morgana, which she was thrilled about because whenever his mind wandered to the ward of the king…her brother smiled. She loved his grin, it was just infectious and bright. He didn't mind many things when he was thinking of Morgana, which was probably a good thing as Arthur seemed to have realized he wasn't getting quite the same reactions out of his one servant and tried to get a rise out of Merlin lately.

SHE on the other hand, just…didn't care. People had looked down on her all her life, whether for being a peasant or a woman or even for her birth status in Ealdor, what the union of her mother and father might or might not have been. She was used to it. At first it bothered her, but when she had met quite a few friends that didn't care what she was but just cared for HER, she had started to not care what others thought either. Those who minded her didn't matter to her, and those who did matter to her truly didn't mind her. And THOSE were the people whose opinion she concerned herself with.

Though she had to admit, that Arthur was slowly becoming one such person yet, and this was true for all the people who mattered in her life, SHE had the final say about how things affected her and her opinion of herself. Arthur might very well be disgusted with the sight of her like that, but she wasn't going to let that make her feel disgusted of herself though, no. She had had fun with her brother and that was all there was to it. Arthur's opinion did matter to her, but not in a way where she based her entire life and every decision on it. She wasn't that simpering.

"Probably not," Merlin grinned.

Arthur shook his head, "Go wash up," he sighed, waving them off, "The Lady Latrona will be arriving shortly and I can't have my servants covered in dung!"

"What's so special about her?" Marayna remarked as she moved to try and ring out her hair. She usually left it hanging mostly, tying it back only when she had to work or if Morgana styled it up for a banquet or feast."

"Nothing," Arthur turned to head to the window.

"Must be something," Merlin agreed as he tried to wipe some dung off his face, they were both stalling a bit, because Arthur had ordered them to go get ready, likely in their rooms, which would mean they weren't needed in HIS rooms for a while, so if they could leave him a bit of a parting gift of leftover dung that would be fantastic because they wouldn't be the ones cleaning it. If they tried, they'd just get more of it everywhere else, "You're in a mood."

"So what is she?" Marayna asked, "Rude? Obnoxious? Arrogant? Your twin sister?"

Arthur rolled his eyes at her remarks and turned to face them once more, "If you must know she has…a bit of a reputation," he told them, "One that I would rather avoid getting caught in and so, if my father orders you both away because of…that…" he gestured at the dung, "Then I shall be forced to entertain her alone and I'd rather not have that."

"What sort of reputation?" Merlin frowned.

He sighed, "She has had…6 husbands in the last 8 years," he explained, "They have all died under…quite mysterious circumstances. And each man has been greater than the last."

"Fatter?"

"Yes, Merlin," Arthur stated dryly, "They've been greater in girth and it was their own weight that killed them."

Marayna laughed at that, smiling at Arthur for his use of sarcasm, he was learning quickly wasn't he? "You mean greater as in…"

"Her first husband was a mere knight, but then her next was a Baron, then a Viscount, Earl, Marquis, and her last was a Duke."

Marayna frowned at that, "So she's working her way up the ranking system?"

"It appears so," Arthur nodded, "She's changed her title so often, everyone merely refers to her as 'Lady' Latrona until she weds again."

"What's after a Duke then?" Merlin asked.

Arthur looked away and it was Marayna who answered, "Prince, Merlin, the next on the chain is a prince."

"YOU'RE a prince," he told Arthur, who rolled his eyes.

"No, Merlin, truly? I hadn't the faintest idea of that," Arthur shot back.

"You think she's going to try to get you alone and what?" Merlin shook his head, "Try and marry you?"

"And then kill him," Marayna guessed, "And then…" she blanched, suddenly looking rather ill, "Oh that's disgusting."

"What?" Arthur scoffed, "Marrying me is disgusting?"

He…actually felt a bit hurt at that, at how she had reacted to the thought of marriage, marriage to him. He…he knew it was impossible, he knew that he would never be allowed to marry a servant, not while his father was alive at least, and he couldn't even say he wanted to marry Marayna, he was really…only just starting to get to know her, really know her. He knew he was attracted to her, that much was clearly obvious and…her personality, while grating at first, had grown on him, he liked how she challenged him, how she didn't let him get away with things, how she opposed him. He liked her very much, yes, but…he was still learning about her and marriage, that was quite a ways off.

But it still hurt.

"No…marrying Uther is," she shivered.

Arthur blinked, "How on earth did you get marrying my father from her possible intentions to wed ME?"

She looked at him, "Because with you dead she would be the grieving widow who lost her husband and HE would be the grieving father who lost his son. It's happened before, a king marrying his daughter-in-law when his son dies. Maybe that's her plan in coming here, maybe she's not after you but Uther."

"It'll be alright though," Merlin laughed, "Just don't marry her. It's not like Uther would allow it after Sophia."

"Yes…" Arthur trailed off, "Yes, perhaps you're right for once Merlin," he nodded to himself, "I have no desire to marry Lady Latrona."

"Then you've got nothing to worry about," Merlin pointed out.

Arthur nodded a bit more and looked over at his servants, "Well? Go wash!"

They laughed as they turned and left the room, Arthur watching them go, wondering if it was at all normal to find a woman covered in dung still attractive. To be honest though, he hadn't even really noticed the dung on Marayna, to him…she was still just…her.

~8~

Merlin and Marayna stood on either side of Arthur, but behind him, as the prince stood to the right of his father, Morgana on his left with Gwen beside her as they waited on the steps that led to the castle for Lady Latrona's carriage to arrive. Luckily, unlike most other nobles, this particular lady was quite punctual and they were not waiting long. Uther stepped down the stairs and to the carriage's side, opening the small door to allow the lady out, offering her his hand for balance.

Marayna eyed the woman as she straightened to face the nobles of Camelot that had gathered to greet her. The woman was tall and thin and reminded her very much of a bird, of an ostrich, as one of her uncle's books on animal anatomy had shown a picture of it. She had a very long neck and a very angular face, very sharp and, what she assumed, might be considered aristocratic. She had short red hair, that was curled and pinned to her head, with a sort of emerald green veil cascading over her hair and back of her neck. Her dress was quite gaudy really, as though the woman were trying too hard to show off the wealth she had undoubtedly gathered through her various marriages. There were actually gems and pearls sewn into the dress. It was more like a ridiculous costume than anything. Marayna though DID notice that the woman was not at all as old as she and Merlin had assumed her to be. She appeared just a few years older than Arthur, she must have been one of the noblewomen who married young, probably an arranged marriage of some sort.

"King Uther," the woman greeted, her voice a bit raspy despite her youthful appearance, "Might I thank you for the honor of allowing me a visit to your glorious kingdom.

Uther grinned at the praised, "The honor is all mine, my Lady," he charmed the woman, "Camelot shall shine brighter with you here."

"You charmer," the woman laughed, making Uther laugh as well, though it made everyone else shift uncomfortably when she lightly slapped his chest in jest and left it lingering just a moment too long.

"Please," he turned, gesturing to the stairs as Arthur and Morgana stepped up to be introduced, "My ward, the Lady Morgana," he nodded at her.

Morgana gave a half-curtsy, "Lady Latrona," she greeted cordially, though she appeared a bit tense as she looked at the woman.

"Lady Morgana," Latrona nodded back.

"And my son, Prince Arthur," he smiled at Arthur as he gave more of an actual bow.

"Lady Latrona, welcome to Camelot," Arthur offered.

"Why thank you," she grinned, Marayna, Morgana, Merlin, and Gwen able to see how she was eyeing Arthur up and down. The prince himself appeared aware as he subtly began to stiffen in place, "It certainly has been a most welcome welcome indeed," she chuckled at her small joke, "You know Uther," she turned to him, "I think I shall have the most magnificent time," she glanced at Arthur out of the corner of her eye, "Camelot certainly as many…exquisite sights."

Marayna blinked, before looking at Merlin, 'Is she joking?'

But Merlin could only shrug, until Uther called him down to take Lady Latrona's things to her rooms.

~8~

"Burn these clothes!" Arthur ordered as he stormed into his rooms, trying in vain to pull his red tunic over his head, forgetful of his brown leather vest that was currently closed over it he was that desperate to have the offending garments removed.

Merlin and Marayna snickered behind him as they followed him into the room. Lady Latrona…well, she certainly was something, that was for sure. The woman had managed to position herself at dinner beside Arthur. It had been…more amusing to Marayna than anything to see the look of discomfort on his face when the woman, who really was only a few years older than him, started to attempt flirting with him. She knew she should have been alarmed, should have felt threatened or angry or jealous as other women would as some other woman flirted and flounced before the man that held her eye. And she was certain she would feel something like that…if Arthur had been receptive to the advances.

She really was FAR more entertained by his reaction. Whenever the woman got too close, her low-cut dress dipping just a bit too much, Arthur quickly looked away or tried to turn his attention elsewhere, leaning back so much he nearly fell off his chair. The woman would try to subtly dab perfume on her wrists and neck and bosom, but Arthur grimaced at the scent. When she'd laugh, Arthur would wince at the cackle (it really DID resemble something like a donkey's bray though). Her touches made him tense and shift, trying to pull himself away from her and he kept trying to talk to Sir Percival beside him, but to no avail as Latrona would just clutch the fabric of his sleeve till he turned back to her. And her dancing…Marayna had had to hide behind a pillar, using Merlin's neckerchief as a gag to hide her howls of laughter.

They honestly had NO idea how the woman had managed to secure six husbands if her efforts with them were the same as with Arthur.

Though…there was ONE thing about Latrona that did bother her was the fact that the woman was of noble birth, Latrona WAS better suited for Arthur than…well SHE was. She knew that she, repeatedly, told others that she felt she wasn't the right match for Arthur (everyone as in Merlin, and Gwen, and the Dragon) but those were her feelings in the long run. She…she DID care for Arthur, very much, more than she ever thought she would care for someone. But she knew that the likelihood of her actually marrying him, despite the Dragon's words, were slim and especially if Uther insisted on seeing his son wed (and approve his choice of partner and future Queen) before he died (which he likely would) then she knew there was NO chance she'd be the Queen.

She knew that was not likely to happen, marrying him, but…for now, in the present, she…she was starting to think she should just…see where the relationship went. Her mother had proven to her that love was a gift, love was something so precious and should never be taken for granted, that when one found it, they should embrace it. She was slowly starting to feel that way. That she should live in the moment and what happened would happen, she would accept whatever came of it. She had asked her mother once why she had never married after their father, she and Merlin were of the impression he'd died just after she'd been born, but…her mother had said that she had not felt love for others the way she felt for their father, but that she didn't regret the time she had with their father for it was better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.

She would see where things went with Arthur and, in the future, when it was time for him to wed someone else…well…she would deal with it. She would use her time now to prepare herself for that moment.

"It wasn't THAT bad," Marayna quipped as Merlin moved to help Arthur, who had gotten trapped in his shirt.

"Oh really?" came Arthur's muffled reply as Merlin finally managed to pull the shirt off him, "Well next time YOU can sit there and fend off the advances of a station seeking noble."

Marayna just blinked, "I had to fend off Richmond for a YEAR," she reminded him dryly, "I would think you, the most 'fearsome warrior of Camelot' could fend off one woman for a few nights."

"Yeah," Merlin shrugged as Arthur moved behind his changing screen to remove his pants, Merlin tossing the breeches he wore to sleep onto the top of them for the prince, "She'll only be here for a few nights more, you'll be in training with the knights all of tomorrow and the day after. Tonight's feast was just to welcome her so Uther will probably entertain her the rest of the time."

"For once I hope you're right Merlin," Arthur grumbled, not seeing Marayna roll her eyes at Arthur's dislike of being around Latrona, SHE was of the belief that Richmond was FAR worse than the woman would ever be.

Arthur stepped out from his screen and looked at his servants before sighing, "Go on," he waved them off, "I can see myself to bed this once," he rolled his own eyes.

Merlin nodded and headed out, Marayna gathering the clothes a moment before she followed, "It'll be over soon Arthur," Marayna called from the doorway, giving him a nod before she slipped out after her brother.

Arthur sighed and walked around the room, blowing out the various candles till the only one left was the one on his bedside. He'd JUST sat down on the edge of his bed, leaning over to blow the candle out…when there was a knock on the door.

He paused, looking over, narrowing down the list of who it could be by the fact that they'd knocked. It couldn't be his father or Morgana or his servants, perhaps it was Gaius or Gwen or one of the knights. He sighed and pushed himself up, heading over to the door and opening them. He had to blink though when he caught sight of who was standing beyond it…because he was NOT expecting her to knock.

"Mara?" he frowned, "Did you forget something?"

"I think I just might have," she smirked, before striding right up to him and kissing him firmly.

Arthur's eyes widened for a moment before they fell shut, his arms winding around her as hers wound around his neck, pulling him closer. He hadn't even realized that they were moving till his knees hit the bed and he fell back on it…

And THAT was when he realized something was wrong.

Because that…was NOT like Marayna at all.

"Mara…" he pulled away, looking at her in the dim light of the candle, "What's wrong? This isn't like you?"

"Isn't it?" she asked, before laughing.

He frowned, sitting up and pushing her off of him, THAT wasn't her either, that wasn't her laugh! Her laugh didn't sound like…like…like a donkey's bray. But that didn't make any sense, because the only person that sort of sound reminded him of was…Lady Latrona, and that was NOT her standing before him yet…it sounded and acted just like her!

"Ooh," the woman-who-was-not-Marayna pouted, "You've worked it out haven't you?" she got up, her hand idly coming to rest on the gaudy blue gem dangling around her neck, "Odd, they said you were slow."

"What?" Arthur shook his head…before he realized what was happening, "Magic!" he shouted.

The woman held out her hand, her eyes flashing gold, and he fell back on the bed, frozen, unconscious to boot. The woman smirked and walked around the bed to where his head was resting. She reached up and unclasped her necklace, removing it and holding it in the palm of her hand, smirking at it. She watched as it began to glow a brilliant blue, before she placed it down on Arthur's forehead.

"Rest well, Prince Arthur," the woman remarked, moving to look at herself in the mirror, now revealing her true appearance, the Lady Latrona, glancing over her shoulder at the man, "For when you wake…you won't be able to take your eyes off of me."

~8~

Marayna was sleeping soundly in her room, it was rather quiet now that Merlin seemed to have taken to staying with Morgana most nights. Not that she ever told her uncle about that, no. Merlin was always sure to be back before Gaius woke so that the man was none the wiser about where his nephew got to. She wasn't worried about Merlin and his love, no, she knew her brother was the most honorable man there was, he had no lewd intentions with Morgana and if he said that ALL they did was sleep beside each other, then she believed him.

She knew that's she probably should have warned him away from the ward of the king at some point, that the woman would be expected to marry a nobleman or some other rubbish. But she could see it in Morgana's expression and reactions that she loved her brother very much. And there was less pressure on her to wed than Arthur, Arthur would be king, he'd need a queen. Morgana, at most, might be someone else's queen…

Though she was rather hoping that someone else would be Merlin. It would be lovely for him and Morgana to be allowed to be together as they so obviously loved each other. That was something she never understood about nobles, how they married and what they married for. One would thing that a kingdom would need a happy king to be a prosperous place, to have him merciful and kind to his people, not an unhappy one who would be bitter and cross the entire time because he himself was in a strained and loveless relationship. That never sat right wit…

She flew up in bed with a gasp and a cry of pain, her eyes already tearing from a sharp jab that struck her chest as she clutched at it with a hand. It was like the pinch she'd felt with Sophia, but the last few, not when he'd been drowning, but when Sophia had completed her enchantment on him.

"You've GOT to be kidding me!" she grumbled under her breath as she struggled to do just that, breathe that is.

'_MERLIN!_' she shouted in her mind, hoping her brother would hear her all the way across the castle. He should be able to, she'd been able to hear him from Morgana's chambers when Gaius had kept him back to talk of anatomy before.

'_Aya?_' she heard a frantic reply, though one with just a hint of sleep to it, it seemed she'd woken her brother, well that was good, because she needed his help, '_What is it? What's wrong?_'

'_Arthur. You need to go check him, right now!_'

'_What? Why?_'

'_I think he's been enchanted again. That…that pinch happened, but worse this time._'

Her brother was silent for only a minute though she got the impression from his tone when he responded that he'd been cursing out loud, '_I'm on my way right now._'

'_Thanks,_' she swallowed, turning to try and get out of the bed despite the pain in her chest lingering. She wasn't going to let him investigate by himself but…he was on the other side of the castle, he was only a hall over from Arthur while she was an entire castle's length away. He'd be able to get there first and check, maybe even catch sight of the enchanter, though she had a fairly good idea who it might be given there was only one new person in the castle.

She winced, pushing herself to her feet and rushed to grab her dress to get out there and help her brother deal with another enchanted Arthur.

This was starting to get ridiculous.

~8~

True to his word, Merlin rushed to Arthur's room, only waking Morgana for a moment to tell her what might be happening. It was…an amazing feeling to be able to do that, to tell someone else about magic that might be going on, to be able to have more help, to be able to warn someone clearly and openly and keep them safe. He knew that it could have been dangerous, to tell Morgana about his and Marayna's magic, it had been even more so to tell her about her own but…he and his sister had experienced exactly what Morgana had growing up. Their mother hadn't told them that what they could do was magic for ages, they'd thought there was something wrong with them, they'd thought the villagers were right when they'd whisper about them being 'demon children' or something similar. They'd thought they were evil for so long and tried to hide their gifts, tried to be good, and it wasn't till she'd sat them down and told them what it was that they realized it was just something special they'd been born with. True, they were near enough to Camelot to know that the kingdom thought all magic users evil, but their mother had said they were not, their mother had said she had never met anyone as good as them and their mother was always right, so Camelot had to be wrong.

But still, it hadn't been till she'd told them what it was that they stopped being scared of what they could do and had actively tried to control it. Now that they knew it wasn't some demon inside them trying to get out but just a talent they had, they had just a little more control over it. They were more aware that they had to hide it and be careful. And that was all he wanted for Morgana, if she knew what she was and what she could do, she wouldn't be scared of it, but equally she would know to be cautious with Uther. She had nearly told him about her dreams earlier, when Sophia had been around, and that could have been disastrous. They didn't think the king would EVER sentence Morgana to death, but they did know he'd 'punish her' for wanting to 'learn' magic. Now that she knew what magic she possessed, she would be sure not to speak of it around Uther.

Though…speaking of the king, there was clearly one magic user that they might have to bring up to him he realized. He'd just rounded the corner to Arthur's chambers when he heard the door opening and jumped back around the corner to peek past it. He frowned as he saw the Lady Latrona saunter out of the room, grinning as she tossed a small, glowing blue gem in her hand before she walked off, placing the gem around her neck in the process.

He let out a breath and hung his head, he'd felt the magic shimmering off the gem, and didn't even have to guess what had happened. Marayna had been right, Arthur had been enchanted…again.

Well that was just…ridiculous.

He knew that no one but him, his sister, Gaius, Morgana, and Gwen knew Arthur had been enchanted by Sophia, but still…again? Someone had actually tried again? And so soon after the first? Well, at least they had experience in it now and all they had to do was work out what that blue gem was so they would know how to help Arthur. He stepped around the corner and headed for the prince's room, thinking about the gem. That was the problem with magic, there were so many things that gem could be that it was hard to tell whether a simple counter spell might work to reverse the enchantment, or if the gem had to be destroyed, or if the gem was merely a tool and Latrona herself had to end the enchantment. He was getting a headache just thinking about what it could all mean, before he pushed the door to Arthur's chambers open…and froze.

"You're dressed," Merlin stated, blinking as he saw Arthur was in fact dressed and already at the stage of putting on his belt, the last piece of his typical outfit, his red tunic and brown pants with his brown jacket over it.

"Your powers of observation are astounding Merlin," Arthur remarked dryly, though there was an odd smile on his face.

"WHY are you dressed?" Merlin continued, "It's barely dawn, you always try to sleep in on days you don't have to train with the knights…"

"Why waste such a beautiful morning?" Arthur laughed, "Why miss time spent with the mostly beautiful company?"

Merlin stared at him a bit…he'd never heard Arthur utter the words 'beautiful' so often in one go. Well, that settled it, the prince had to be enchanted. And it made sense it was Latrona, given the concerns both Arthur and Marayna had had just the day before about the woman…now they knew how she'd managed to ensnare her past husbands, she'd enchanted them, she had to have. But really? What was the woman thinking? She'd JUST arrived and Arthur's reception of her had been less than warm, Uther was aware his son disliked the woman and was uncomfortable around him. Latrona would never be able to argue that it was 'love at first sight' or something to explain such a change in his son. At least with Sophia it appeared almost a subtle shift, with him acting just a little more out of character each time he was with her. This was just…well, if Uther didn't cry magic at such a sudden shift in his son he would sincerely worry about whether the KING had some sort of mental affliction.

"You…didn't seem to like her company much last night," Merlin remarked, trying to…he wasn't sure what. He might be trying to get Arthur to realize he'd been enchanted without saying it, his sister had said the same outright to the prince and she'd been strangled for it. He was NOT about to let that happen again, if Arthur came at him or his sister in such a manner he'd not hesitate to throw the prince back with magic so hard he knocked him out. But…it could also be that he was trying to stall Arthur from going anywhere with the noblewoman, clearly he was dressed and ready to go somewhere with her and that would NOT be good.

"What?" Arthur actually started laughing at that, which made Merlin frown in confusion, surely the enchantment couldn't be so deep that it had actually warped his memories of before he'd been enchanted…could it? But Arthur just shook his head, clapping Merlin on the shoulder as he passed him, "Oh Merlin, I've always enjoyed her company, from the moment she arrived in Camelot, though you'd best not tell her that. She'll never let me live it down."

Merlin blinked, "She's only been in Camelot a day!"

"Has that mental affliction of yours acted up again Merlin?" Arthur began to eye HIM oddly now, "She's been in Camelot months already!"

"Arthur…" Merlin began slowly, "Lady Latrona only arrived yesterday."

"Yes Merlin, I'm well aware of that, thank you," Arthur rolled his eyes, "I was not speaking of Lady Latrona."

"Then…who?" Merlin shook his head, he was getting more and more confused as this conversation went on.

"My fair Mara," Arthur smiled softly, "We shall be spending the day together."

"Mara as in Marayna," Merlin blinked again, "As in…my sister AYA…THAT'S who you're talking about?"

Alright, he could admit it, he was entirely lost now. How was Arthur enchanted to love Marayna? He was nearly certain that the prince already loved her (if he would just stop being a dollop head and admit it) so what point was there to enchant him to…his eyes widened. If Latrona had enchanted him to be more open about his love for Marayna…she might end up executed! It would follow the same path that Marayna and Arthur had worried of for Uther, that she'd be there to help the grieving noble and worm her way into his heart. But…then why bother enchanting him like that? If she had the power, why not enchant him to just love her?

He was getting a headache now.

"Yes," Arthur dragged out the word, as though he were speaking to an idiot, which Merlin did quite feel like at that moment, he really was having a difficult time following all this, "Now, I'm giving you the day off…"

"The day off?" Merlin looked at him, Arthur hadn't given them a day off since…well, he never gave them a day off unless they'd nearly died or something.

"Well I can't give one of you the day off without the other," Arthur argued, "Mara would never agree to spend the day with me if she knew YOU were handling all the chores so that just leaves giving you both the day off, doesn't it?"

"I…suppose…" Merlin agreed, watching as Arthur nodded and headed for the door, him slowly following after. But then something happened that made him want to call it quits because if he thought he'd been lost before, it was nothing compared to now.

Arthur stepped out of his rooms, right as Marayna had reached them, and froze, stiffening with his lips pursing together as though he were trying his best not to let on how displeased he was about something and be seen as polite, "Lady Latrona," he gave her a brief nod before rushing off down the hall.

Marayna blinked and frowned at Arthur's retreating back, before turning to her brother, "Did he just call me Lady Latrona?" she had to ask, to make sure she hadn't just imagined that.

Merlin let out a groan, "Yep."

"Why?"

"I have no idea," Merlin rubbed his head, that headache was getting worse now. He let out a breath and looked down the hall before nodding his sister into Arthur's chambers with him so they could talk, "He's enchanted alright, I saw Latrona leaving with some sort of gem and she seemed pleased. Arthur was already dressed when I got here and ready to leave to meet her, or…I thought he was going to meet her, but…" he looked at her.

"But what?"

"But then he said he was spending the day with YOU."

"Well, clearly he isn't if he just walked past me."

"I know, but he was going on about how he wanted to give us both the day off to spend time with you and…oh," his eyes widened, "She enchanted him."

"Yeah, I got that part Merlin," Marayna rolled her eyes.

"No, I mean…she enchanted him, yeah, he's definitely not acting like himself, but…I think there's more to it. I think she enchanted him to, I don't know, see her as you and you as her."

"Come again?" she shook her head, that made no sense to her…and she'd had years of her brother not making sense.

He sighed, "Latrona enchanted Arthur so that, when he looks at her…he sees YOU instead."

"Oh," she nodded, it did make sense, it explained why he'd looked at HER and called her Latrona just now, because he'd seen Latrona instead of her, "So…what do we do?"

"I dunno," Merlin rubbed his head.

They couldn't follow Arthur and Latrona wherever they went, Arthur would think it suspicious, with how often they complained about their chores that they'd willingly follow him around…or at least that Merlin would, he'd only see Latrona sneaking around after him too. Not that Merlin wouldn't want to make sure his sister was alright, but he'd left her alone with Arthur in the woods during the Forest Bull incident, it wasn't hard to imagine he'd be alright with the two going off somewhere on their own again. And if SHE followed and Arthur saw her, well, that would cause all sorts of commotions. There was also little fear that the enchantment HADN'T set in, from how Marayna had described her 'pinch' it was already the end of the enchantment, it had been cast completely and Arthur was under it. There was no fear that Latrona would use more magic on him.

Not to mention, Arthur would be aware that Uther would never allow him to go gallivanting off somewhere with a 'servant' while a noblewoman was visiting. Council meetings he could get away with missing, but a visiting noble he would not. And since he thought it was Marayna with him, he wouldn't risk straying too far from Camelot. Which meant, as long as they were in public, Latrona couldn't risk using more magic. They had to wonder though if Arthur would even notice that no one was stopping or staring at him or whispering for walking about with his arms around a 'servant' because what everyone BUT Arthur would see was him walking with a noble?

Well, they supposed they'd find out eventually, but first…they had to find out what that gem was.

~8~

"Why do you have so many books about geology uncle?" Marayna grumbled, her voice muffled as her face was pressed against a thick open book, her nose wedged in the crack of it. She, Merlin, Gwen, and Gaius had been at it for the better part of the day, trying to find a rock of some sort that matched the one Latrona wore while Morgana remained with Arthur and Latrona to keep an eye on them, as it wouldn't be quite as suspicious for her to be seen lingering around them than the servants.

Unfortunately Gaius wasn't in the room at the moment, he'd gone to the library, to one of the old tomes that still existed there about magic. Uther, while he'd been completely insane in the Great Purge, had, at some point, realized the need for keeping a few books detailing magic and magical objects, should any be used against Camelot in the future. Geoffrey was in charge of watching them, making sure no one but those the king trusted most would be able to obtain them. At first, Gaius hadn't believed that Latrona had enchanted Arthur, it wasn't until Arthur had visited to ask if Gaius could make, or could recommend someone to make, a perfume for Marayna…with her sitting right there and that, when he'd looked at Marayna, had asked if the Lady Latrona was well, to which Marayna had sighed and muttered about a headache.

A very real headache actually.

After that Gaius had had them searching through his books about rocks for any that might resemble the one Latrona wore, it was meant to be a way to determine if it was merely a regular rock, and so the magic and enchantment was coming from Latrona, that the rock was just…a tool to channel the magic or amplify it, like some clear crystals were. As they'd searched all day and hadn't found anything, it could be guessed that the rock WAS magical itself.

And that had sent Gaius off to Geoffrey to search some of the old magical books for a reference to it.

It appeared though, that it may have been a tiny hint of her 'guessing things' to ask that out loud as the door to the chamber opened and Gaius entered with a book, "Science is not just the study of different ingredients in a tonic Rayna," he answered, having heard her question, "It is the study of…"

"Everything," Merlin and Marayna answered, having heard it enough times.

"Have you found anything Gaius?" Gwen asked, closing her book and stacking it on a neat pile beside her, always the tidy one and knowing how important Gaius's books were to him, she tried to be respectful of their placement…Merlin and Marayna just shut theirs and pushed them into a pile on the center of the table before turning to their uncle.

"Yes, I believe I have," he nodded, walking over to them. He sighed at the sight of his geology books just clumped in a pile before he shook his head and set the book down on an open space, opening it to a page he'd marked, "Is this the stone?" he asked Merlin, knowing the boy had gotten a better look at it while he'd seen it in her hand. It would have been improper for any of them to look at the stone too long from where it naturally hung, around the woman's neck just above her bosom, likely meant to draw attention there while also making another flustered that they'd allowed their attention to be pulled there.

Merlin leaned forward and looked at the page, seeing it was a slightly colored sketching of the stone, "That's it," he nodded. He could recognize it because it was such an odd shape. He knew most stones and gems, from what he'd seen of Morgana wearing, were meant to be cut on angles and things. But the stone Latrona wore seemed to be the reverse of it. It appeared to be cut in the shape of a diamond, but instead of wearing it with the flat part out, it was worn with the pointed end out, set into a golden circle of sorts for a base. It was exactly like he saw on the sketch, the rim of the necklace with the point of the gem sticking out.

"Then, it appears, we are in luck," Gaius let out a relieved sigh.

"Arthur's enchanted," Marayna deadpanned, "How is that lucky?"

"It is lucky because the GEM is the source of the enchantment," he explained, "We need only destroy it and the enchantment will be over."

"What sort of enchantment is it anyway?" Gwen had to ask, she wasn't really as experienced in this as Gaius was, nor even as Merlin and Marayna were. She knew they hadn't been studying their magic long, but they HAD had it for their entire lives, this was all new to her.

"It is quite a simple one really. The enchanter uses an incantation to activate the gem, which then makes the person they wish to enchant see them as the one they truly love…"

Marayna shifted a bit at that as the room fell silent, realizing the implication of that. Arthur was seeing the enchanter as Marayna and that meant…he loved her then. Well, she was sure he might possibly be starting to as she could admit that, well, yes, she DID love him as well. But…Arthur was stubborn, he was a fighter, and he was a man, so she could assume he'd be denying that for ages before he finally came forward with his feelings. He may care for her, yes, he valued her, alright, but love? It might just be her own personal beliefs on it that were keeping her from accepting that entirely but…it was understandable, wasn't it? Ever since she'd been a little girl she'd been sure, entirely and completely sure that no man would ever love her, so to hear that this gem and Arthur seeing her instead of Latrona meant that he loved her?

She was a bit cynical of that, she wouldn't truly believe it till she heard the prince himself say it to her.

Gaius cleared his throat, "And because the enchantment allows the enchanter to take on the appearance of that person," he continued, "It also manipulates the enchanted as well. It makes their feelings amplified, it makes them less inhibited around that person."

"Which explains why Arthur was so unconcerned about being seen spending the day with what he thought was a servant," Merlin nodded.

"So basically, all we have to do is somehow go up to a noblewoman, steal her jewels, and destroy it?" Marayna blinked, "Well that won't get us thrown in the dungeons and executed at all," she rolled her eyes.

"It won't," Gwen actually agreed, "Because if Uther finds out it's an enchantment, which…Arthur would probably vouch for, he'd probably throw you another feast," she nudged Marayna.

She groaned, "Maybe we should just leave him enchanted then, I hate feasts!"

Merlin and Gwen laughed at that before Gaius got them to calm down and try to work out what to do about Latrona and her necklace…

~8~

Of course, for all their planning, to go to Latrona's room after the small feast that night for her, apparently it was a tradition to hold one for her each night she visited, and to steal the gem back and destroy it in the dead of night…Arthur had to go ahead and waste those plans…when he decided to announce, as he stood before his father with Latrona beside him, his engagement to the noblewoman.

Merlin would have laughed at how his sister had hung her head, pressing her face into her hand and shook it at how completely and utterly exasperated she was at the situation. It was entirely far too much like with Sophia and she'd have thought that, even enchanted, his mind would have learned that to announce such a thing TO the king, instead of asking permission, was the worst way to go about it. But, then again, maybe his enchanted mind HAD learned from it as he was announcing he was engaged, instead of asking permission to marry this time.

Uther though, was still NOT amused.

"Again Arthur?" he had to ask his son, looking at him as though he expected it to be a jest, "I take it you are over Sophia then?"

"I am," Arthur nodded, standing at his full height, "And I am serious about this father, I have never loved anyone the way I do Mar…"

"My Lord," Latrona cut in, seeming just the tiniest bit flustered at what Arthur had been about to say out loud, WHO he'd been about to call her, but thankfully had cut in before he could finish, making it seem like Arthur had been about to say 'My Lord' instead, "I know this may be sudden, but…when one is in love…" she smiled at Arthur who gazed softly at her back…which only served to make Morgana turn a bit green as everyone else in the room saw Latrona instead of Marayna, "One cannot help it."

"Yes one CAN," Uther's eyes narrowed, "Guards!"

The guards started to approach Latrona who sighed, "Then you leave me no choice," she glared at Uther, her eyes flashing gold as a plate fell to the floor with a clatter, a gasp ringing out, and the king was on his feet in an instant at the blatant use of magic.

"Stop!" he shouted at the guards, but not for the reason anyone expected. It was not because of Uther's shock at a magic user being in Camelot, it was not even because the woman had enchanted him, no…it was the source of the gasp from a maidservant and the dropping of the plate in her hand that had caused him to give the order.

It was the fact that Arthur had pulled his sword from its sheath…and was pointing it at his own heart, his expression now blank, as though he wasn't even aware he was doing it.

Latrona smirked, seeing the power she now held, "One wrong move Uther, one command…and your poor boy's heart will break," she laughed, "Oh, did I say break, I meant stop," she looked at Arthur who pressed his sword a bit more to his chest, making his shirt crease at the added pressure.

"What do you want?" Uther sneered at her.

"I want Camelot to burn," she shot back, "I want…

Merlin looked at his sister, ignoring the tirade Latrona was going on about the grievances against the magical community created by Camelot and Uther and how she wanted the kingdom to fall so magic could rise and so on and so on…only to frown, "Aya?" he whispered, reaching out to put a hand on her shoulder.

But she didn't answer, just stared straight across the room at Arthur, pressing his sword to his own chest, completely under the control of Latrona, knowing that, in a single instant, he could end up impaling himself, that he could kill himself and…she was scared. She'd never seen someone do that before, turn their sword on themselves, and to know he was being controlled, that someone was able to control him to do that…she was terrified that he'd really do it…

Merlin looked back at the scene unfolding, he'd seen it, the paralyzing fear in his sister's eyes, the tears in them as well, and he knew that he had to do something, not that he didn't already know that given that Arthur's life was on the line. But…he had to do it NOW. He looked across the room, to Morgana who had stood when Uther had, and caught her eye, '_Gana_…' he called, '_I'm going to cause a distraction,_' he told her, going with the first thing that popped into his head, '_I'm going to magic the gem off of her in the middle of it, tell Gwen to catch it when I do and give it to you, you've got to destroy the gem._'

Morgana nodded, looking around before she found a solid slab of rock, one of the rocks that the kitchen servants used when carrying the hottest of plates. They'd place it on the slab, which wouldn't heat up, and place it on the tables for the nobles. They were small, a bit heavy, but there was nothing on it at the moment, and it might just be heavy enough to shatter the gem if she tried. She turned to Gwen, reaching back to subtly pull her closer, whispering the plan in the girl's ear before Gwen moved to the side of the room, in line with Merlin, with Latrona in the middle of them and nodded to him, she was ready.

Merlin looked around the room once more, before grabbing his sister's hand to reassure her, feeling her shaking as she kept her eyes locked on Arthur. They both knew he couldn't try to tackle the man or risk too obvious magic…they had to wait. Luckily though…Latrona was the extravagant sort, the one who, when speaking, flapped her hands all over the place, and she was getting angrier the longer she ranted about the evils of Camelot.

Merlin waited only a moment longer, for the noblewoman to let out a vicious shout and fling her hands out in anger…and his eyes flashed gold, the windows around the room shattering, making even Latrona flinch and everyone think that SHE had done it. As the woman flinched and ducked from the flying shards of glass as everyone else had done, save Arthur who just stood there ignorant of it all, his eyes flashed again and the necklace went flying off her neck, Gwen jumping to the side to catch it, before she tossed it to Morgana.

The court watched as Latrona straightened, as they all did as well, and began to feel for her chest, feel for her necklace, all too aware it was gone, "Where is it?!" she cried, frantically looking at her dress…till they heard a cracking noise.

Everyone looked over to see Morgana with a stone slab in her hand, pounding it against a blue gem on the table before her, cracking it more and more and more.

"NO!" Latrona screeched, lifting a hand as though she were going to magic Morgana…only to be tackled to the side by Merlin to stop her, the boy knowing he couldn't risk magic again with everyone now focused.

No one besides Gwen noticed the faintest flash of gold in Morgana's eyes as, with the last pound of the slab, the gem shattered completely, sending out a small pulse of blue energy.

Arthur blinked, looking around before he frowned at his hands, "What…" he dropped his sword and turned to his father, confused, "What happened?"

"Guards seize her!" Uther shouted, as the guards rushed to Merlin, grabbing the woman from him and dragging her out of the room as she screamed obscenities at them.

"I don't understand," Arthur shook his head as Uther made his way around the table and to Arthur, "Father…" but he was cut off as Uther reached out…and hugged his son, a very manly hug, one that was more a hug from a king to a prince, but that was to be expected in front of the other members of court.

Arthur looked over the man's shoulder to Morgana and gave her a confused stare. But she just shook her head and smiled, though she had tears in her eyes as well. He frowned, seeing her gaze on something else, and looked to the side as his father pulled back to start on a speech to the court about the evils of sorcery, only to see Merlin holding Marayna in a tight hug off to the side, the girl clearly upset about something from how tightly she was holding her brother.

He swallowed hard, unable to shake the feelings that coupled inside him, the first that he got the impression it was something HE had done that upset her and…the feeling that he really wished he were Merlin (as odd and completely idiotic and had to be a sign of some lingering enchantment), because then…HE'D be the one holding and comforting the girl instead.

Merlin glanced back at him, at the room in general, before he turned and led his sister out, knowing that she hated seeming weak or upset or weepy around others and that she really needed a moment to gather herself before she stepped back in. Arthur sighed as he watched them go, knowing he'd have to speak to them soon about all of this, he really had no idea what was going on.

The last thing he remembered was a sort of fuzzy memory, like a dream, him and Marayna kissing before he fell asleep with visions of her in his head.

~8~

Marayna twisted and turned in her bed, her face scrunched in pain as a nightmare of her own played out, ironic as the one who typically had nightmares was across the castle and sleeping peacefully for once in the arms of the man she loved. And that was just it, wasn't it? The man she loved was giving her peaceful dreams…where as the man Marayna loved was the cause of her nightmare this time. It was playing out again, the dream, the horrible dream that wasn't a dream but a terrifying memory…of Arthur, of his latest enchantment, of how he'd turned his blade on himself and nearly…

She sat up in bed with a gasp, tears in her eyes as she panted, the dream playing out again, the memory. She swallowed hard and closed her eyes, running a hand through her knotted hair. She was starting to think she should request some sleeping potion from Gaius like Morgana did, this was the fifth time she'd had that dream in a row. It was natural, she was sure, given what she'd seen Arthur willing to do under the enchantment, but…she knew it was also guilt.

Because she'd frozen.

She'd frozen the moment she'd seen him turn his sword to his own chest. Her mind had shut down, she hadn't moved, she hadn't thought or spoken or reacted it was just…she didn't know. She'd never been so scared as to think he might actually do it, as to know Latrona would have MADE him do it with no qualms. It had terrified her so much that she had just…shut down. If it hadn't been for Merlin, Gwen, and Morgana, who had later, upon request from Merlin, claimed that when the windows shattered Gwen, who had seen the necklace flashing with magic, used the distraction to run to Latrona and grab the gem off her before she tossed it to her to break, the two of them thinking it might have something to do with her control of Arthur. Gwen had been honored as well with a small feast, much like Marayna had for helping Aurora and they had been thrilled she had gotten recognition for her hand in helping save the kingdom, they didn't so much mind their friends getting credit for things they had a hand in.

And for as joyous as that feast had been, the very next night, Latrona having been executed that morning for her crimes, SHE had had a nightmare. She didn't often have nightmares, nothing really got to her that way unless it was Merlin in danger, and she'd been there for him the entire time she'd been in Camelot, he hadn't been in danger without her there too so she hadn't had nightmares in a while. But then…with Arthur…she'd dreamed about that event every night since it had happened and…she didn't know how to make it stop.

She closed her eyes for a moment, letting out a breath, before she laid back down and turned on her side, looking across the room at the empty bed her brother rarely slept in anymore. She sighed, she was very happy that he was happy and that he was there for the woman he loved but…sometimes, like now, she just…wished he could be there for her too.

They had always been together, her and Merlin, their whole lives. When she'd been sent to her Aunt Elaine's, it was supposed to only be for a short while, to train to be a lady-in-waiting, so she had some sort of skill to offer when she and Merlin arrived in Camelot as Merlin could have been Gaius's assistant and she would need a skill or qualification of her own. That had been the first and only time they'd ever been separated. She was glad that her brother was branching out, while they loved their own bond with each other, how they were there for each other they both knew that, in order to grow, things had to change.

And she was thrilled that Merlin was there for Morgana, that Morgana was there for Merlin when she couldn't be…she was over the moon that the two loved each other. But, at the same time, she was a bit saddened that the person she loved hadn't exactly said anything of the sort back to her in his own voice. Seeing Merlin and Morgana together, seeing her brother drifting from her to the noblewoman, she was happy for him but it just made her wish that she had someone there for her too.

A/N: I just want to say I'm SO sorry this is so late. I've been trying to log onto my account every 10 minutes since the time I usually post and it kept saying those 'error' messages :( And since I wasn't logged on I couldn't even use my trick with the URL :( BUT! It finally started working like 2 minutes ago so I'm writing this note and hoping I can post before it glitches again.

As for the chapter...poor Marayna :( I sort of wanted to hint at the distance that is coming between her and Merlin, not a bad distance, they're just...falling in love with Arthur and Morgana, but that it's hard when one love is returned and the other isn't quite just yet :( But I can say that someone will notice Marayna's nightmares soon and 'be there for her' ;)

Some notes on reviews...

I can't say about Mordred just yet, I want that to be a secret what'll happen with him }:) But I can say that he was one of my favorite characters to write for this story :)

I have a twist for who will be the antagonist IF Morgana doesn't go evil, but we'll have to wait and see }:) I can't say about Morgana's fate though, that'll be a secret till Series 3 :)

I think it would break my heart if Morgana goes evil too, but we'll have to wait and see }:) It broke my heart to write my one DW story but I kept the pain going for quite a while, so you never know with me ;)

That's ok about reviewing, I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far :) Oh I've got a lot of twists involving Lancelot, I'm very excited for him and Gwen :) But I can't say just yet what'll happen to him ;)

I've actually got a note on my FF profile for Leena's section (and on my 'Upcoming Stories' page on tumblr) about Sherlock. Series 3 will be up tomorrow actually with Welcome Holmes ;) AND I'll be giving short teasers, 1 for each episode, periodically on my tumblr today (appearing on her TJHC page) to lead up to it ;)


	15. Excalibur

Excalibur

Marayna and Merlin stood in the crowd with Gwen as the court gathered in the Main Hall for quite the momentous occasion. Apparently it was Arthur's 21st birthday, he was now of age to be officially crowned the Prince of Camelot. Yes, he'd always been the prince, he was Uther's son and recognized as the heir and the prince, but now he would be legitimate in the eyes of the kingdoms, he would be recognized as the official heir, which meant he now had a crown to go with his head. Marayna though was of the impression that there wasn't a crown in the world big enough to fit his ego, though she DID have to admit that his arrogance had diminished slightly since she and Merlin had come to Camelot. She liked to think they both had something to do with it, with Merlin treating him just like any other person and being his friend because of who he was and not WHAT he was...and her being unafraid to smack him and talk back to him when he was being foul. They would have to keep an eye on Arthur even more now though because, should anything happen to Uther (mixed feelings on whether that would be good or bad), Arthur would be able to rule in his place...so that would be added pressure and also more power to the prince, which meant there would be times he'd be outright unbearable from taking out the pressure on them and other times where he might just abuse his power slightly. Well, they'd be sure to keep his ego in check as much as they could.

But still, it WAS a monumental moment in the history of Camelot, Marayna knew, and she supposed she should be paying more attention to it all...but it had been going on for_ hours_ now, long speeches, little rituals, all the tradition involved…that was one thing she never understood about the court. The king especially had a kingdom to run and there he was wasting hours talking instead of doing his duty. If she was ever really Queen she'd change that as well. Short, to the point, get the meaning across, and let people be on their way. Especially the peasants and servants who were forced to stand during it all and then would later be scolded by their masters for not getting their chores done in order to attend the mandatory ceremony. It was all just one big injustice in her mind.

She supposed though, she should be relieved that Arthur had forgone making her and Merlin wear the feathered hat. That was one good thing to come out of it. It seemed he had learned his lesson from the first time she'd worn it. It really wouldn't do for the man about to be crowned to be trying to hold back his laughter as his father, the king, spoke to the people he would one day rule. Arthur tended to make rather ridiculous faces whenever he tried to refrain from laughing and that would certainly not make the best impression.

She glanced over at her brother to see his attention, as it had been most of the night, was not on Arthur, but on Morgana as hers too was on him. She knew, right now, they were just staring at each other, no mental communication. She knew that Morgana was having just a bit of trouble getting the hang of speaking in her mind to them, though she could hear them if they intended her to hear them. Morgana had spent so much of her life trying to ward off her dreams, to ignore them and the potential they held, that it seemed her mind was giving her some trouble in allowing her to embrace it now. She could hear them just fine, but they both knew it would take her some time to be able to use her magic to speak back to them fully. When she was very close and, usually, touching one of them it was clearer. They were merely trying to get her to the point where she didn't need to be that close to speak to them. It would really help if they could be in three different places and speak to each other.

But she was leaving that mostly to Merlin, it seemed...far too intimate a gesture, speaking in someone's mind, allowing them to speak in your mind. She and Merlin had just always been able to do it, being siblings, being so close, it was natural to them. They'd been slightly shocked to hear Mordred speak as well, but given the Dragon could they expected others with magic to. There was just something about helping another master that ability that she felt Merlin would be better suited to do with Morgana, it would give them something else to bond over, something for Merlin to help her with like he did her dreams. And...it was also because she knew that she and Morgana shared a small bond as well, different than what Morgana and Merlin shared, because...she knew Morgana had felt the same magical connection with Mordred as she did. She'd felt it too, felt the tug, the need to protect the child who also held magic, a representation of themselves and the danger they were all in. But she knew that's just what it was, the magic, Morgana had felt it but hadn't understood it, only that she'd felt the same pull when she and Merlin had arrived as well…much stronger with Merlin though.

She knew THAT was not JUST the magic though.

Someone fancied Merlin, she sang in her had, smirking, though she was pleased. Back in Ealdor neither she nor Merlin had drawn much attention to themselves, not just out of the need for self-preservation, but just because…no one really noticed them. Most knew there was something off about Merlin, he'd always had a harder time covering up his magic and controlling it, so they shied away from him at times. Most knew that her future prospects were limited to none and just hadn't bothered to get acquainted with her as a result.

And that was fine with her.

The less people around her, the less they'd know her secret, the less they'd try to use it to harm her brother.

That was why she was _thrilled_ that Morgana had taken an interest in Merlin. She could tell Morgana was a good woman, had a kind heart, a fierce spirit. She was someone who would fight to the end to defend the things and people she loved, who would stand up to injustice, who wouldn't ever give up. She could tell, once Morgana got a hold of Merlin he'd be a goner. But that was alright. She honestly thought she'd be more upset at the idea of losing her brother, truly the only male presence in her life, to another. But…she had to smile.

He was in_ love_. Truly, deeply in love.

And he was loved in return.

She would NEVER begrudge her brother of that happiness, the happiness he'd found in Morgana. A happiness, she admitted, she might have found in Arthur as well. So…she pulled her attention away from the thrilling game of 'count the cracks' she was playing with the ceiling and turned it back to Arthur. It seemed like the ceremony was FINALLY coming to a close…and then she yawned...

Till she felt a pinch on her arm.

She turned and mock-glared at Gwen who just smirked and shook her head. She really had such little attention when it came to meetings such as this, it really was a problem. But she couldn't help it that she was tired as well. She'd been having nightmares of a recent visit by a noblewoman, the Lady Latrona, well, really the Duchess Latrona but she married so often and changed her title so quickly that it was easier and less insulting to call her merely 'Lady' instead. Arthur had fallen under her enchantment and had turned his sword upon himself, nearly stabbed himself. It had horrified and terrified her, she had actually_ frozen_ because of it.

HER! Well, yes she DID get that scared in the past, and she still did. Put her up against most things and she'd face them down, especially if she had her brother beside her. But...put her in any place where there was a hint of a rat or a mouse, even the tiniest, most distant squeak...and she froze. She just...mice! She shivered, she just...not mice. The nightmares though, they were fading, getting more annoying. It happened with her, that was how her nightmares worked. She'd get scared and she'd dream about it for ages after, but slowly she'd end up just getting exasperated with the same dream over and over to the point of annoyance...and then it didn't scare her anymore. She had no idea if that was normal, probably not, but that was the only method she had for coping with trauma and fears.

Well, most fears, her fear of mice had persisted FAR longer than she had hoped. But then again...that fear, the events that led up to its development, the consequences of the events, well...they left scars that would last longer than any nightmare, so she was sure that it was a fear that would never leave her. It was one she'd never be able to overcome or dream to the point of annoyance. She was getting there with the dreams of Arthur though, she just...needed another month or so and she was sure she'd be over it. Now she just had to concentrate on keeping awake during the day long enough to make it a few months and not get fired for sleeping on the job.

She looked over as she heard Uther's voice boom out, clearly he was all too aware she was not the only one dozing and losing interest, quite a few other nobles were too. But she frowned though when she saw that Arthur wasn't looking at his father any longer...but at her, with a small, concerned frown on his face. She hoped he hadn't seen her yawn, she could just imagine the teasing and jesting about whether her chores were too strenuous or something of the sort, then she'd respond sarcastically and, depending on Arthur's mood, likely land herself with more and that wouldn't do.

"Do you solemnly swear to govern the people of this kingdom and its dominions according to the statutes, customs, and laws laid down by your forebears?" Uther's voice echoed as he stood before a kneeling Arthur.

Marayna looked at Gwen with a pitiful/pleading face, making the girl roll her eyes and nod that yes, it was almost over.

"I do, Sire," Arthur replied, as serious as anyone had ever heard him and pulling the attention of Gwen and Marayna back to him.

"Do you promise to exercise mercy and justice in your deeds and judgments?"

"I do, Sire."

'_Well if that isn't 'do as I say, not as I do' I don't know what is,_' Marayna scoffed to Merlin, who coughed to try and cover his chuckle…making Gaius glare at them, catching on to the fact they were silently communicating.

"And do you swear allegiance to Camelot, now and for as long as you shall live?"

"I, Arthur Pendragon, do pledge life and limb to your service and to the protection of the kingdom and its peoples."

Uther smiled, "Now, being of age and heir apparent, from henceforth," he turned and picked up a small golden band, holding it high above Arthur, "You shall be Crown Prince of Camelot," before setting it on his head as the court applauded.

Arthur stood, smiling a true smile that Marayna hadn't often seen, which only served to make her smile and clap as well. He often gave a range of smiles, cocky smiles, 'flirty' (or what she was sure he meant to be flirty) smiles, tense ones and uncomfortable ones and pleased ones but this...this was an actual SMILE. This was a smile of someone who was proud of himself and where he was, who was honored and felt humble for once in his life and...it was a genuine one. She couldn't help but think she'd like to see that sort of smile more often.

"So how does it feel to be servant to the_ Crown_ Prince of Camelot?" Gwen smiled at them.

"Washing his royal socks will be even more of a privilege," Merlin rolled his eyes.

"And the _honor_ of washing his unmentionables is truly staggering," Marayna added dryly.

Gwen giggled at the mention of 'unmentionables' but had to shake her head and nudge them, "You're proud of him, really. Even though you complain about him constantly."

"We are not," Merlin defended weakly, but they could all tell it was a lie.

"And we complain for a perfectly justified reason," Marayna nodded, linking her arm through Gwen's, "The Crown Prince is a prat."

Gwen shook her head, "Whatever he is, you are _so_ proud of him. I can see it in your faces."

"Those socks are very clean!" Merlin countered, "Of course I'm proud of them."

They looked at Marayna, but she held up her hands, "Don't look at me, I don't TOUCH his unmentionables."

Gwen blinked, "Then how do they get clean?" her eyes widened, "You DO clean them don't you?"

Marayna smirked, "You'd be surprised how many of the young serving girls in the washroom jump at the chance to touch those things. They _literally_ JUMP to do them. It's ridiculous!"

Merlin gaped at her, "If you hand off the work than how come _I_ have to wash the socks myself?! They're rank!"

Marayna laughed, "And that's the reason I leave them to _you_ brother dear."

Merlin shook his head before grabbing her around the neck and noogying her till she managed to poke him in the stomach, making him squirm back, ticklish, as Gwen laughed at them both, no one really paying any mind to the playful servants with all the cheering and good feelings in the air…

Until a window nearby shattered, a window that had only JUST been replaced from when Merlin had shattered them to distract Latrona, as a man in black armor rode through on a horse, startling everyone. The crowd leapt back, avoiding the falling glass as Arthur and the knights drew their swords.

"What in the devil's name?!" Uther demanded.

The horse just trotted over to Arthur, the 'Black Knight' throwing down the gauntlet, his intention clear.

Marayna frowned, spotting the look on Uther's face as the man stared at the crest on the knight's shield instead of at the man's face to spot who he was, looking as though he'd seen a ghost which only served to make her wonder if he already knew who this man was. Arthur sheathed his sword and stepped forward, about to pick up the gauntlet, to take up the issued challenge...when another knight beat him to it, having seen what the prince was about to do.

"I, Sir Owain, accept your challenge," the knight called, holding up the gauntlet.

The Black Knight straightened, giving a brief nod, "Single combat," he said, his voice deep, "Noon, tomorrow. Till the death," and with that, the Black Knight turned and rode out of the room.

Merlin and Marayna made their way to Gaius as Gwen went to check on Morgana, knowing Merlin wanted to (as she had been sitting right by the windows) but couldn't, "Have you ever seen this Black Knight before?" Merlin asked the man.

"I don't believe so," Gaius stated.

Marayna frowned, she recognized that tone, he was lying, "Really? So you have no idea what the crest you and Uther were staring at means?"

"Crest?" Gaius looked at them innocently.

"My eyesight is not that bad uncle. I saw you staring at the giant crest painted on his shield."

"Which house is it?" Merlin frowned, realizing as his sister had that Gaius was hiding something.

Gaius sighed, seeing that they were already suspicious, "I'm not sure. I didn't see it that clearly."

Marayna eyed him intently, "But you DID recognize something of it?"

"Yes."

"Do you think he's from around here?" Merlin questioned.

"I...don't believe so, no, not from Camelot."

"Then what's he doing here?"

"He's definitely here for something," Marayna agreed, you didn't just ride into a hall full of knights for no reason.

"Merlin, Rayna," he sighed, "Your faith in my all-seeing knowledge is both touching and wholly misplaced. Maybe if you've finished your work, you could go to bed and leave me to finish mine."

Marayna sighed, "You're sending us off to Arthur's mercy aren't you?" she remarked, already able to see the glower forming on Arthur's face, the tensing of his jaw in irritation, and could just tell it was going to be a 'fun' night, just...ever so fun.

Merlin groaned, realizing that as well, "Ok, ok, we're going," he and Marayna turning to go see to Arthur, "Gaius?"

"Merlin?" Gaius turned back to him.

Merlin hesitated, "Do you think Owain can beat him?"

Gaius could only sigh, "We'll find out soon enough."

Neither of them liked his tone.

~8~

The next morning no one really knew how to feel. Normally the court and all the peasants who could attend a duel were thrilled to see a fight such as that take place, but given the circumstances, given how little they knew about the Black Knight, as everyone had come to call him, no one was sure whether to feel excitement or trepidation. Everyone who had been at the ceremony the night before could agree that they had felt something odd off of the knight, that there was just something not particularly right about him. The next morning would also find Merlin attempting to ready Owain, the boy having been up all night waiting to go meet Morgana and had gone to Owain earlier to help prepare him as Uther had offered their services for the preparation.

Marayna walked past Arthur on her own way from Gaius's to Owen's chambers, smacking the prince on the back of the head as she passed him to help her brother ready Owain for the fight that was about to take place with the Black Knight, Owain having the sense to look away and pretend he hadn't seen a thing.

"Ow!" Arthur winced, "Mara!" before he glared at her.

She just spun around, still walking backwards, to point a warning finger at him, before grabbing a glove and moving to pull it, more than a bit forcefully, onto Owain's hand, "You know what that was for."

Apparently he'd spent the entire night ranting to Morgana about how_ he_ should be the one to fight and how Owain shouldn't have taken the gauntlet and how he couldn't even interfere now that the challenge had been taken up and how it was HIS fight to be fought, etc. And now all of them were cross with him.

Merlin was cross because he hadn't been able to see Morgana with Arthur there, he'd waited up all night but Arthur hadn't left till it was nearly dawn when the servants woke anyway. Morgana was cross because Arthur had kept her awake with his ranting and she hadn't been able to even glimpse Merlin the entire night. Gwen was cross because she had felt awkward leaving Morgana alone with an irritated Arthur and hadn't been able to go home to make her father some food for his day at work, not that he couldn't have made his own dinner but, ever since her mother had died and her brother had left, she just liked being able to see him even once a day.

And now _she_ was starting to get cross because everyone else was cross. Since Merlin had been forced to stay in Gaius's chambers that night, pacing as he waited for a chance to meet with Morgana, Gwen having agreed to swing past the room on her way home to alert him to Morgana going to sleep and needing her draught, she hadn't been able to sleep. Not that she would have wanted to sleep with Merlin there anyway. She hadn't had a nightmare in a few days and she knew, she could just tell she'd likely have a nightmare THAT night and she didn't want Merlin to know about them. They didn't keep many secrets from each other, but this was something she knew would affect him and Morgana. He'd feel guilty that he hadn't been there to help her with her own nightmares and he'd try to be there for her and then Morgana would have nightmares and he wouldn't be there for her and it would just be a big old mess.

The difference was she knew her nightmares would fade, Morgana's wouldn't until they could start helping her practice her visions. She could deal with a few difficult nights on her own. But last night hadn't been necessary for them ALL to have gotten no sleep...all because of Arthur. She knew she'd have had a nightmare though, because all the duel would remind her of was him turning his own sword on himself and that wouldn't have been good. She didn't like the entire idea of this particular duel, normally she'd be thrilled to watch him beat his opponent but this one was just too soon. She was cross for lack of sleep, she was cross because everyone else was, and she was cross...because Arthur was an idiot!

Anyone could tell there was something wrong with the Black Knight. She was honestly surprised Uther, in all his paranoia, hadn't cried sorcery already._ That_ was how wrong the knight was. Had Arthur fought it, he'd die she was sure of that. And she would have sat…well, stood…through that whole ceremony for nothing. Why celebrate Camelot's Crown Prince when the Crown Prince went and got himself killed the very next morning?

Arthur grumbled under his breath but said nothing in retaliation, though he did shoot Owain a glare when the man let out a soft chuckle. He knew what the man was thinking, if anyone else had done what Marayna had, he'd have them thrown in the dungeon…well, he would have…only a few short months ago he certainly would have. He had, in fact to a number of others for far less physical slights against him. But…now? The knights could see it, a subtle shift in their prince. A good one.

"You've never fought in mortal combat before," Arthur turned to Owain, "It's different. It's not like the training I've been giving you."

"Yeah, I know," Owain replied.

"_Listen_ to me," Arthur said meaningfully, "The problem is...we've never seen him fight. You have to quickly get the measure of him."

"But I have the same advantage. He's never seen _me_ fight."

Arthur smiled, "True."

"_You've_ watched me," Owain glanced at him.

"Yes."

"And?"

"And I know no one braver," Arthur put a hand on Owain's shoulder, nodding, the man smiling at the praise from the prince, "Remember, all it takes to kill a man is one well-aimed blow."

Owain nodded and headed for the door, "Good luck," Marayna called.

Owain offered her a smile, "Thank you, but I won't need luck," he turned and continued on.

Marayna just raised an eyebrow and turned to Merlin, "Is it just nobles or is it all men who are _that_ arrogant?"

Merlin laughed and tried to defend his gender with, "I'd go with nobles."

"Oi!" Arthur shouted, glaring at them, though his glare softened when he spotted Marayna struggling to suppress a yawn, and not one of boredom but exhaustion.

~8~

Marayna and Merlin stood off to the side with Gaius, Morgana sitting beside the king with Gwen standing at her side, as Arthur walked up to join his father in the arena.

"The fight shall be to the knight's rules!" Arthur announced, "To the death!" his jaw tensed, still not happy with the situation and now worried about Owain but knowing there was little he could do, "Let battle commence!"

"Come on, Owain!" Gwen called as the battle began, Owain and the Black Knight duking it out for all to see, their swords sparking with each clash, grunting with each blow.

"One well-aimed blow!" Arthur yelled to Owain.

Owain turned, stabbing the Black Knight right in the gut, "Yes!" Merlin cheered.

"_What_?!" Marayna breathed as the knight_ continued_ to fight, not even slowed by the wound that _should_ have killed him…until…he managed to run Owain through himself.

Everyone gasped in shock as the man, one of Camelot's own, fell to the ground, dead. Merlin and Marayna frowned as they looked on in confusion at how that could have possibly happened. They'd _seen_ it! They'd seen Owain stab the man through the stomach, a sure killing blow! This should have been impossible!

The Black Knight just turned to the crowd, pulling his glove off once more, "Who will take up my challenge?" he held it up a moment before throwing the gauntlet down.

"And here we go," Marayna sighed, spotting Arthur bolting over the barrier of the stands to grab the gauntlet this time…or he would have if Uther hadn't grabbed him and held him back just long enough for another knight to grab it.

"I, Sir Pellinor, take up the challenge!" the knight called.

The Black Knight gave him a nod, "So be it," before turning and walking out of the arena.

Merlin frowned as he watched the Black Knight leave, "Should we tend to his wounds?" he glanced at Gaius, "He took a hit."

Gaius shook his head, "Owain didn't land a blow."

"No, we saw it."

"The sword went right through him," Marayna nodded.

Gaius frowned and looked at them, "Are you _sure_?"

"Our eyes are quicker than yours," Merlin smirked.

"He _should_ be dead," Marayna said quietly, frowning as the Black Knight disappeared in the distance.

Gaius eyed the man closely before the doors shut, blocking their view of him, "Perhaps he already is."

"What?"

Gaius looked at them, "Come with me," he sighed, leading them out of the arena as the other knights collected Owain's body.

They made their way quickly through the crowds, all of those present to stunned by the recent events to notice them making their way hastily off, save Morgana who caught Merlin's eyes as they passed, Merlin sending her a small nod in promise to speak to her later.

~8~

To say that finding themselves in the burial vaults was surprising...was a lie. Gaius himself had implied the Black Knight was dead, so really where else would they go?

"Are you sure we should be doing this?" Merlin asked.

He'd never been very comfortable around dead bodies. He'd never much liked the idea of someone else's life coming to an end, not even animals, which was why he sometimes purposefully botched Arthur's hunting trips. It just...never felt right to him, the idea of taking a life like that, that was not a power anyone was meant to have and not something anyone should be proud of. It was why he hadn't enjoyed tournaments and duels like that, inevitably someone might die in it and it never sat right with him. Marayna, he knew, didn't like the idea of killing someone else either, but she understood that there were times where it had to be done, they both understood that though, when someone was attacking you or someone you loved and was NOT going to stop...sometimes it was the only way to protect that person.

"You're not scared, are you?" Gaius smirked back at him.

"No, I _love_ old crypts," Merlin rolled his eyes.

"They're just so...lively," Marayna agreed, taking his hand, she wasn't much a fan of dead bodies either. She was ok around them, she didn't freak out or run off, but if she was around them too long it started to make her uncomfortable, especially if they didn't appear to have died naturally, like with the poison in the water ages ago. If it was a natural death, well...that was life wasn't it?

It was something she loved about having a brother, they watched out for each other, they never got on each other's cases about things that truly frightened them. He hadn't ever made fun of her fear of rats and she didn't tease him about his fear of the dead. He really had more difficulty around dead bodies than she did though it was more the entire thought of death that he was scared of, he was terrified of those he loved leaving him forever and equated that with death in general. But they were always there to support each other in their fears. Whenever a rat was around, he protected her, chased it off, kept it away. Whenever someone in their village passed on, she'd be right at his side, holding his hand, reminding him that he wasn't alone. They looked out for each other that way, never let the other feel alone in their fear.

Suddenly the door behind them slammed shut.

"Must've been a gust of wind," Gaius shrugged.

"We should've brought a torch," Merlin muttered, squeezing his sister's hand.

Marayna reached over and pulled a torch from a sconce in the wall, "_Leohtbora_," she breathed, her eyes flashing gold in the darkness, lighting the torch.

Merlin smiled at her as she handed him the flame, knowing it would help calm him to be in charge of the fire.

"Handy," Gaius smiled, seeing the interaction, guessing what was wrong with his wards, unable to bring himself to comment on their use of magic when something was clearly agitating Merlin.

"Yes," Merlin smiled, moving to put his arm around Marayna's shoulders instead of just holding her hand.

Gaius smiled at them, nodding them on, past grave after grave.

"What exactly are we looking for?" Marayna had to ask.

Gaius paused by one grave, "Bring your torch over here," he called to Merlin.

"We're breaking into someone's grave?" Merlin frowned as he moved them closer, holding the flame up to the tomb's markers.

Gaius sighed and shook his head, "We're too late. I think someone's already broken out."

"Who?" Marayna eyed the tomb but she couldn't make out the etchings, it seemed like someone had scratched across them or worn them out or something.

~8~

"Tristan Dubois," Gaius explained to his wards as they sat in his chambers later that night, "Was the brother of Ygraine, Uther's wife."

"Arthur's mother, Ygraine?" Merlin's eyes widened.

"When Ygraine died in childbirth, Tristan blamed Uther and came to the gates of Camelot and challenged him."

"Let me guess," Marayna sighed, running a hand through her hair, "To a fight to the death?"

Gaius nodded, "Uther won."

"Never would have guessed that one," she mumbled, till Merlin poked her in the side for it.

"But in his dying breath, Tristan cursed Camelot to one day suffer his return. I thought it was the ramblings of a dying man."

"Men don't just rise up from the dead, though, no matter how angry they are," Merlin remarked.

Gaius pulled a book from his shelf and opened it, placing it before them, opening it to flip through the pages, trying to find what he wanted to show them, "It's my guess we're dealing with a wraith."

"A wraith?"

"And a wraith is..." Marayna shook her head.

"The spirit of a dead man conjured from the grave," Gaius pushed the book to them, spotting the page and pointing to it, to the writings on the wraith and what it was, why it was created, and what it could do.

Merlin frowned at the page, "So this is the work of a sorcerer?"

"Powerful magic can harness the grief and rage of a tormented soul and make it live again."

Marayna shook her head, already knowing what that meant, Tristan was out to kill Uther the only way that would truly make the man suffer...by killing Arthur, "So how do we, I don't know, kill it again?"

"We can't," Gaius sighed, "Because it's _not_ alive, no mortal weapon can kill it."

"Surely there must be something," Merlin looked up at him.

"If a mortal weapon can't, what about an immortal one?" Marayna offered.

Gaius shook his head, "_Nothing_ can stop it until it has achieved what it came for."

"And what's that?" Merlin asked.

"What else does anyone try to do?" Marayna looked at him pointedly, "Kill Arthur."

"Revenge," Gaius nodded, "Against Uther."

Marayna groaned and rubbed her head, "I swear it's like he's got a target on his back!"

"What does that mean for Sir Pellinor?" Merlin frowned.

"I'm afraid it doesn't look good," Gaius replied solemnly, the wraith would kill anyone and everyone in its way to get to the prince.

~8~

The next morning, Merlin and Marayna stood in the arena grounds, watching Sir Pellinor fighting Tristan Dubois, he actually seemed to be doing well, actually seemed like he was besting Tristan in their combat...it wasn't much but it gave them hope.

"Maybe you were wrong," Merlin suggested.

"I hope so," Gaius sighed.

Marayna scoffed, "When is uncle EVER wrong Merlin?"

And, true to her word, Sir Pellinor ran Tristan through with his sword, but the man_ kept_ on fighting as though it had never happened, though, this time, more of the crowd appeared to have seen what happened judging by the whisperings that began to go around.

"The sword went in, I'm sure of it," Gwen breathed to Morgana, both of them watching the knights fighting even more closely, suspicious of the Black Knight as well.

"I saw too," she nodded, looking over at Merlin across the way to see him give her a serious look and a nod as well.

Tristan used the shock of Pellinor's blow not feeling him to turn out of Pellinor's reach and best him, killing him instead, much to the crowd's displeasure. The knight turned to the head of the crowd, to where Uther and Arthur had stood, about to raise his gauntlet...

When Marayna noticed something else, "Of all the _stupid_..." she began...

As _Arthur_ threw down his own gauntlet despite Uther trying to stop him, "I, Arthur Pendragon, challenge you!"

"So be it," Tristan gave a nod, taking up the challenge.

"Single combat. Noon. Tomorrow. "

Merlin looked at Marayna to see his sister just glowering at Arthur and then over at Arthur's smug look before he turned back to his sister and started laughing, "Sorry!" he chuckled as she glared at him, "Sorry it's just..." he poked her side, "You're marrying an _idiot_."

She sighed, "I know."

At least she could be thankful that her brother was calling Arthur an idiot instead of believing himself to be one. But really...she was going to have to do something about this. For all his observational skills, which he seemed to only utilize when actively fighting an opponent or hunting, he was _terrible_ at seeing things! Clearly there was something very unnatural about the knight, clearly something was wrong with him, and if two good knights, that Arthur had trained himself, couldn't best the man...he should give pause as to why and work it out and come up with a method to slay the man instead of issuing a challenge merely because his pride had been wounded.

Men!

~8~

Merlin and Marayna sat with Gaius later that day, having been excused by Arthur so he could 'focus without his bumbling servants distracting him.'

"You were right," Merlin sighed.

"As always," Marayna nudged him.

"I wish I wasn't," Gaius shook his head.

"So...the chances of Arthur actually fighting that thing and winning are...slim, aren't they?" Marayna asked, trying her very best to remain calm and rational about this despite the fact she was a bit scared for him. Yes, Arthur had faced a number of enemies, had fought quite a few others and come out victorious...but this was the first one that didn't seem like it could be killed, even with magic and that worried her. But worrying wouldn't get her anywhere, being scared wouldn't help Arthur.

She had made that mistake before, she had let her fear get to her, she had frozen and it had meant leaving everything to Merlin, and while her brother was more than capable of handling any challenge...she didn't want that burden to fall solely to him if she could help it. If anything went wrong, she wanted the guilt on BOTH of them and not just him. So she needed to face this, she needed to STOP getting scared or at least stop letting on that she was afraid, because if it froze her again when it really counted then she wouldn't be able to help, and that was not something she wanted.

"He is Camelot's strongest warrior. If anyone can defeat it, he can. "

Merlin frowned at him, "You said yourself, no mortal weapon can kill it. Which means we have to find a way to defeat the wraith ourselves."

"How do you propose to do that?"

"I said it before uncle," Marayna began, "If no mortal weapon stands a chance, then we need an immortal one," she looked up at Gaius.

"We need to make a magical weapon," Merlin nodded, running into their rooms to grab the magic book from where they'd hidden it under the floorboards.

"It's too dangerous," Gaius shook his head.

"Well we don't exactly have a choice do we?" Marayna countered, she...she loved Arthur, she admitted it, she did, and she was NOT about to see him die after having finally admitted that to herself complete.

~8~

"Well that's hours of my life I'll not get back," Marayna muttered as she and Merlin rushed through the halls towards Arthur's chambers. They'd tried to use all sorts of spells to try and harm Tristan, or at least make him vulnerable to Arthur...they'd even tried to burn him with a magical fire, but he remained standing, unharmed, int he courtyards, staring at the castle.

Worse yet, he'd noticed them so they had to flee.

"And this'll likely just be even more," Merlin remarked, bursting into Arthur's rooms. They already knew there was little they could say or do to get Arthur to stop the fight, but they had to _try_.

"Merlin, Mara, you know that conversation we had about knocking..." Arthur began.

"You have to pull out," Merlin cut in.

Arthur raised an eyebrow, "And why is that?"

"Because he'll kill you?" Marayna shook her head, there was no way he DIDN'T see that, Arthur could not possibly be THAT dumb could he?

Merlin opened his mouth, catching that thought of his sister as, while she hadn't been quite speaking to him, her thoughts were very loud.

'_Don't answer that Merlin,_' she shot him a look.

"Why does everybody think that?" Arthur huffed.

"Because two different knights ran the man through with swords, a man who didn't die, a man who then went on to kill both his opponents," Marayna deadpanned, "Not exactly a brilliant track record for his opponents is it?"

"Just pull out," Merlin pleaded, "You're the Crown Prince. No one wants to see you die over some stupid challenge. "

"I am not a coward," Arthur glared.

"Yes, we're well aware of that," Marayna rolled her eyes, "If you'd forgotten, we've been the ones standing behind you watching you face down every single fear and overcome it."

"That's what's required of me," he argued.

"But you are _more_ than that," Merlin tried to get through to him, "You're not merely a warrior. You're a _prince_, a future king! You've proved your courage, but you must prove your _wisdom_."

"I'm not backing down!"

Marayna let out a frustrated shout/growl and turned to Merlin, "Don't you just want to smack him some times?" before storming out of the room before she could do just that, leaving Merlin to handle Arthur alone.

He watched his sister go for a moment, knowing that it was also an escape for her. He could sense it in her mind, she was getting upset with how little regard Arthur had for his own life. That he KNEW he would go into that arena and that he'd die and that he didn't even seem to care. It was upsetting her more than she wanted either him or Arthur to realize. His sister was very...protective of herself and of her feelings, she didn't like others to see her weak or crying. She didn't like pity, hated it really, and that was what she thought others felt whenever she showed any sign of being weak. She was almost ready to cry with how little Arthur cared about what would happen after the duel and what (who) he'd be leaving behind. And that wasn't something she wanted them to see, her crying, especially not Arthur. So she'd left before she could start.

"Please, Arthur, listen to me," Merlin turned to him, "This is no ordinary knight. Look at him. He doesn't eat, he doesn't sleep. He just stands there, in complete silence. Doesn't that tell you something?"

Arthur, who had been looking at the door Marayna had disappeared through, shook his head and turned back to Merlin, "No one is unbeatable."

"If you fight him, you will _die_."

"I'm not listening to this."

"I'm trying to _warn_ you, Arthur."

"And I'm trying to warn YOU, Merlin!"

Merlin glared and moved to storm out the door just as his sister had. But he paused in the doorway a moment, turning to see that Arthur had gone to the window and was staring at it, his back to the door, and swallowed hard, "IF you fight and you die," he added quietly, knowing Arthur could hear him in the silence of the room, "Aya..." he shook his head, "I can't even tell you what would happen to her," he whispered, "I think...I think she might die too," before he turned and left.

Arthur shifted, regret weighing heavily on him as he stared out the window. He wouldn't say it out loud, he...he couldn't. The walls had ears, the servants reported to various people, and if a single one of them heard half the thoughts in his head...he swallowed at that. He cared for Marayna, more than he had ever cared for another, she just...had this way of getting to him, of getting under his skin and making him think, making him consider things from a different point of view, in a different light. She challenged him and she wasn't afraid to let him know exactly what she thought about the things he did. She was...a part of his life now, she was so much a part of it that...to think of not seeing her even one day bothered him more than he could say, it upset him actually.

He was quite certain, though he'd never say it aloud, that...if Marayna ever died...he felt he just might too.

~8~

Marayna had stormed all the way to the library, just barely managing to not blast the locked doors down with her magic to get in, instead taking calming breaths to focus enough to merely unlock them as she searched for exactly what the creature was and a way to stop it, recalling a book or two that Gaius had mentioned were in the room while they'd been trying to find spells to use against Tristan.

"How did you get in here?" Geoffrey asked as he entered the room, gasping suddenly at the sight of someone already in there.

"There's a door right behind you," she muttered, not even looking up from the book.

"But it was locked!"

"Locks can be unlocked," she shrugged, still looking but not seeing a thing that could help them.

"You picked the lock to look at books?"

"I picked the lock to save Arthur," she turned to him, "I need a book on wraiths."

"What for?"

"Uncle thinks the Black Knight is a wraith."

Geoffrey gasped, "Then Arthur is in grave peril!"

"No," she rolled her eyes, sarcastic, "I never would have thought that. Do you have a book or not?"

Geoffrey chuckled, he remembered the girl from quite a few stories Gaius had told him throughout the years, her sarcasm was something the old man could clearly recall even from when she'd been a child. In this context, he knew it meant she was worried, "This way," he led her over to the ancient chronicles, searching the shelves, before he pulled one off and opened it, "A wraith," he pointed to a sketching, before reading the sides of it, "Several fables speak of ancient swords that could destroy anything, alive or dead."

Marayna just skimmed the passage quickly, not in the mood for a lecture after the one she'd had to endure about fingernails from Gaius, "'Sir Marhaus looked upon the great sword, begotten in the dragon's breath, and found it passing good,'" she blinked, "Dragon's breath..."

Geoffrey nearly gasped when the girl suddenly turned and bolted out of the room.

'_Merlin!_'

~8~

Merlin quickly made his way to Morgana's chambers, for once not for his love, but Gwen, Marayna had just told him the most interesting fact about how to best the wraith and now he needed help. He banged on the door till Gwen opened it, "Merlin? What are you doing here?"

"Merlin?" Morgana looked up, smiling.

He smiled at her, staring just a moment before shaking his head and recalling his mission, "I've come to ask a favor of you Gwen."

"Yes?" Gwen frowned, confused.

"I'm not sure how to ask it..."

"Ask, Merlin. You know Morgana and I would grant you anything. I mean, not anything. Obviously, not_ anything_," she smiled a bit, "Well, not ME at least..."

"Gwen!" Morgana cried, blushing at the implication and the tease her maidservant had just given, before looking at Merlin, "Just tell her what you need."

"I've come to ask for a sword," he told them, "The strongest sword your father's ever made."

"What for?" Gwen shook her head.

"To save Arthur," he explained, "The Black Knight is a wraith summoned to kill Arthur...but Aya found a way to kill it instead."

~8~

Arthur was staring out the window of his chambers at Tristan, who was still in the courtyard, staring at the castle...waiting. So focused was he that he didn't even hear Marayna enter, the girl pausing to watch him a moment. She had gotten the message to Merlin who was taking care of obtaining the sword while she tried to deal with Arthur one more time.

She took a breath, "I don't want you to fight tomorrow."

He snorted, "And I should listen why?"

"Because I am _begging_ you Arthur," she murmured, making him turn to look at her, she...she really WAS wasn't she? He didn't think he'd ever heard her sound like that before, but it wasn't just the pleading quality to her voice, there was something...else lingering there, it was like...there was a fear as well, "Please. I don't...I _can't_ watch you die."

He frowned, his jaw clenching at seeing her getting so upset. He'd have given anything to be able to pull out and see her smile, but he _couldn't_, "I have to do this. It's my duty to my people."

"Your duty to your people is not the only duty you have," she reminded him, shaking her head, feeling tears prickling in her eyes and trying not to let them fall, "Where will I be if you die?" she whispered, "I can't watch you die again Arthur."

He blinked and stared at her with a small frown, uncrossing his arms to let them hang, "Again?" he had to ask, unable to remember a time he'd 'died' a frist time.

She looked away before shaking her head, "I keep...dreaming, of you dying," she admitted, "When...Lady Latrona was here...everything ends differently in the dreams."

He nodded slowly to himself, understanding. He had no recollection of Latrona's visit after her first dinner there, but he'd been told enough of what happened to explain why the next thing he'd known was himself standing there with a sword, his own sword, held to his chest, "Mara..."

"I wish I could ask you not to make me watch your life end," she cut in, looking at him, her eyes shimmering with tears before "But you won't withdraw, I know. I had to try though," she walked over to him and looked up at him, "Just...be careful," she whispered to him, before she leaned in and kissed his lips quickly, "And be safe," before she headed out of the room.

Two minutes after the door had shut Arthur finally shook himself out of his shock at having seen Marayna so...vulnerable as to nearly cry in front of him, to beg him to do something, and to kiss him, to knowingly KISS him again and actually plan to do it instead of react to it. And then he realized...if he died...he would be forcing her worse nightmares to come true, he'd be breaking her heart, and...he'd hurt her.

He knew he was likely to die, contrary to what she and Merlin might believe...he HAD seen his knights stab the Black Knight through and the man keep going. He knew that landing a fatal blow would be impossible in this duel. And he knew he'd be going to his death. He looked away from the window, before moving to his desk, grabbing a bit of paper to scribble a note on it. He made his way to his door and looked out, calling a passing servant over and ordering the young boy to deliver the note to its intended recipient.

If he was going to die...he needed to make sure that Marayna knew he was sorry for what he'd put her through.

~8~

While Marayna spoke with Arthur, Gwen knelt at her father's bed and pulled a sword out from under it, "My father's been saving this. He's always said it was the best sword he's ever made."

"I agree," Morgana remarked, taking the sword from Gwen to examine it, she'd come to help select a sword for the Dragon beneath the castle to breathe on, having wanted to have a hand in all the magic and dealings that Merlin and Marayna seemed to get into and...she was excited, she was finally going to be able to meet the 'overgrown lizard' as Marayna seemed fond to call it.

"It's perfect," Merlin nodded, reaching out to touch it, his one hand cupping around Morgana's as they held the sword.

"He'll kill me if he finds I've taken it," Gwen added.

"He'll understand," Morgana shook her head and pulled out a small pouch of coins, she'd insisted on paying for the sword, knowing how hard Gwen's father worked at his craft, and placed it on the bed.

"You did it for Arthur," Merlin added.

Gwen smiled, "I knew you were proud of him really."

~8~

Merlin led the way down the stairs to the Dragon's dwelling, Morgana behind him, with Marayna behind her, carrying the sword, "Merlin!" the Dragon cried, spotting them, "Marayna..." and then Morgana, "And the Seer," he blinked when Merlin took Morgana's hand, hearing her gasp at how he could speak, and smirked, "Or should I say Healer?" he sighed, "Your path has yet to truly unfold."

"Do you know why we're here?" Merlin asked it, as much as he wanted to help Morgana learn about her path in life, they had no idea how long it would take the Dragon to work his magic, so to speak, and they also had to make sure everything was ready...they just didn't have time.

Marayna rolled her eyes, "He's a _dragon_ Merlin, he's almost as bad as Uncle."

The Dragon laughed, but shook his head, "It may surprise you both but my knowledge of your life is not universal."

"So you _don't_ know?" Marayna smirked at it, "That's a first."

"It's to do with Arthur," Merlin cut in, he knew his sister often came to see the Dragon, to talk to it, feeling bad it had been locked away. If how long it took her to get back was anything to go on, she could talk for hours with it and they really, _really_ didn't have the time, "His life's in danger. He will die, unless we can make a weapon that will kill the dead."

"So what do you come to ask of me?" the Dragon eyed them.

Marayna held up the sword, her eyes flashing gold as it floated up to him, "I read that a dragon can create such a weapon by breathing fire on it. We need you to do that."

"The dead do not return without reason. Who has he come for?"

"Uther," all three of them said, even though he was trying to kill Arthur, they all knew it was to get to Uther, to leave him either so broken the wraith could attack, or so angry he'd attack first and make a mistake.

"Then let him take his vengeance and the wraith will die without my aid."

Morgana sighed, "I do not have much love for the king," she admitted, making the Dragon eye her, "But it's _Arthur_ who's going to fight him."

"You have to save him," Marayna pleaded, "Please."

"That is_ your_ destiny, young ones," he shook his head, "Not mine."

"But if Arthur fights the wraith and dies, Camelot will have no heir," Merlin argued, "I will have no destiny. Aya will have no husband. How can she be queen and help usher magic's return if there is no one to be king?"

Marayna suddenly paled and shuddered, "I am NOT marrying Uther!"

"A weapon forged with my assistance will have great power," the Dragon said after a moment, considering Merlin's words, the logic in them...it was ARTHUR who would bring magic back to the kingdom, not Uther. Never Uther.

"We know," Merlin nodded.

"You do _not_ know. You can only guess. You have not seen what I have seen, what the Lady Morgana has seen," Morgana stiffened as Merlin and Marayna looked at her, "If you had, perhaps you would not ask this of me."

"What does he mean?" Merlin looked at Morgana.

She took a breath, "I dreamt of the blade," she admitted, she hadn't remembered till she'd seen it in Gwen's, it had been one of her more...peaceful dreams, still a bit of a nightmare, but nothing too terrible that she'd woken screaming from it. It had been DAYS ago though, "In the wrong hands, it can cause as much evil as good. It HAS to be wielded by Arthur and only him."

Marayna nodded to the Dragon, "We understand."

"You must do more than understand," the Dragon's eyes narrowed, "You must _promise_."

Merlin and Marayna exchanged a glance, "We promise."

The Dragon nodded and breathed fire on the sword, Merlin bringing up a protective barrier to keep them safe below, "Heed my words. The sword was forged for Arthur, and him alone."

~8~

Arthur was standing in his room that night, unable to sleep with thoughts of the challenge to come and Marayna's words. He'd received word back for his note, that the instructions would be heeded, so that was one weight off his shoulders but that still left quite a few others. There was a knock on the door and Gaius and Marayna entered, Marayna carrying a bag for her uncle.

"I've brought you something that might help you to sleep," Gaius told him.

"I'm fine," he insisted as Marayna scoffed, "I don't need it."

"Oh shut up and stop being a martyr," Marayna muttered, putting the bag down and taking the vial out, handing it to him.

"It'll relax you, take the edge off your nerves," Gaius assured him.

Arthur sighed and drank it, seeing Marayna watching him with 'the look,' "I wouldn't drink it for pleasure."

"No one would_ ever_ drink uncle's potions for pleasure," she countered, making him smile as she turned to the man, "Honestly, would it kill you to make them taste good?"

"Why don't you sit down for a moment?" Gaius held his attention on Arthur as the boy swayed.

"Mind you, if you...forget about the taste," Arthur blinked rapidly, his eyes starting to droop, "The, er, after-effect is quite pleasurable..." before he smiled dopily at Marayna, "Like kissing you..." he leaned forward as though to do just that...only to fall onto the bed, half-taking Marayna with him.

Gaius looked over at Marayna stuck under Arthur's arm and side and raise an eyebrow.

"A little help?" she held out her free arm.

He chuckled and got to work getting her up. She sighed and brushed off her clothes before looking at Arthur, "I'll stay with him," she told Gaius, "Your potion might wear off before the duel and then you'll need someone to keep him inside. I'd rather like to say that I actually DID hit him round the head one day."

He nodded, patting her on the shoulder before he headed out of the room to help prepare Uther as the king was insistent he face Tristan himself. Gaius had told him about who the wraith was and Uther thought it should be his fate to fight the monster, not Arthur's. Gaius had told them about the plan, aware that they would need to give Uther the sword instead of Arthur. Morgana hadn't seemed at all thrilled about that, but...if it was the only way to save Arthur for sure and if they managed to get the sword off the king right after...everything should be ok, the future should still be bright.

Marayna watched her uncle go before moving to sit on the edge of the bed, reaching out to stroke Arthur's hair, glancing at the window where she knew the knight was still standing, waiting.

~8~

Merlin and Marayna were in no mood despite how well the day had gone. They'd had a laugh earlier about Arthur's escapades in trying to escape his room while still half-drugged. Apparently the moment Merlin had contacted her to let her know the duel was over, that the sword had worked and Uther had won...she'd thrown a bucket of water on Arthur and gotten to watch the prince had stumble around, run into walls, and attempt to find the latch for the door that he kept crying out had disappeared...it had been hysterical to witness, even more so when she decided to let him go confront his father like that and opened the door for him. Well it served him right.

He ought to embarrass himself a little after tying to get himself killed!

But for all that glee, they were rather irritated at the moment as they trudge through the caverns of the castle in their night clothes, having been summoned there by the Dragon.

"I swear," Marayna grumbled as they neared the Dragon's cave, "One day I'll free that dragon just so he'll leave us alone!"

Merlin groaned, "Just shut up Aya, I'm trying to sleep walk."

They'd had a long day and, just as they'd fallen asleep...the Dragon called to them.

"So, does Arthur live?" the Dragon asked when they appeared.

"Yeah," Marayna yawned, "The sword worked just fine."

"It was incredible, amazing," Merlin agreed dryly, just wanting to sleep.

"As I promised," the Dragon smiled.

"But..."

"Yes?"

"Things didn't quite go according to plan. I mean they did, except..." he looked at Marayna, knowing that if it came from her the Dragon _might_ take it better since they seemed to almost have a friendship going...

"Arthur wasn't the one who used the sword," she came right out with it, "Uther did."

"NO!" the Dragon roared.

Ok, so maybe it would be pretty bad coming from either of them.

"I tried, but he and Gaius had this whole plan and..." Merlin tried to argue.

But the Dragon nearly let out a blast of fire at that, "ARGH!"

"Oh calm down before you have a stroke!" Marayna shouted up at the Dragon, more annoyed he was going off like that than scared, her self-preservation took quite a dive when she was tired. The Dragon though just turned a glare on her but fell silent, clearly not having expected her to snap at him while he was raging, "Uther's the _king_," she continued, "Short of using magic in front of him to even attempt to kill the wraith himself, a VERY bad idea, how could Merlin have stopped him using the sword to kill the creature?"

"The sword was born of the old magic. You have no idea of its power. In the hands of Uther, it will bring only _evil_."

"So we'll get it back then," she rolled her eyes, honestly were all dragons this dramatic?

"You have betrayed me. You are not ready to be trusted."

"Says the cryptic overgrown lizard who never tells us anything and watches as we stumble around and make things worse? If you gave us a straight answer now and then maybe we'd trust YOU more. Trust is _earned_!"

Merlin shook his head, not wanting his sister to fight all night with the Dragon, which he very well guessed they just might do, both seemed equally stubborn, "We'll bring it to you. You can destroy it."

"What is made cannot be unmade," the Dragon muttered.

"So what do you want us to do?"

"Take the sword far from here and place it where no mortal man can ever find it."

Marayna sighed, "Come on," she took Merlin's hand, pulling him on, "The sooner we do it the sooner we can sleep."

~8~

The Lake of Avalon was the only place they could think to send the sword, what with it being a place only those who had died could go, no MORTAL man would be able to come back from it. So it was safe as far as they were concerned. And truly...they were so tired they just wanted to be rid of it and go back to the castle for even an hours worth of sleep...which it appeared only Merlin would be getting as he'd head off for Morgana's chambers the moment they'd reached the castle again. Marayna ran a tired hand through her hair as she stepped back into Gaius's chambers, yawning...only to stop dead, her hand in her hair, her mouth fully open, her eyes half scrunched to see something sitting on the work bench. Some sort of parcel it appeared, more like something lumpy wrapped in white linen.

She frowned and looked around before heading over to it, she squinted, seeing a bit of paper stuck to it and picked it up, her eyes widening as she saw the note.

_Mara,_

_This was something I wanted to be given to you when I thought I would be facing the Black Knight myself. Your words affected me greatly, as they always do, and I wanted you to know that, while I faced my death with dignity, you would have been the last face I wanted to see in my mortal life. I was quite certain you would be the only face I saw in the afterlife as well. These were meant to be a gift, to represent that I will always be there to protect you, I will never leave you, and even if I am forced to, I will always be with you._

_Even in your dreams, I hope they will represent and reassure you that I will be there, no matter what, watching over you and guarding you. I meant for them to help ease your nightmares, to know that I would forever be there with you._

_As it has already been paid for and now that I am alive to see you with it, I hope that you will still accept this gift. I requested them so you would be safe if I was unable to return to you from my duel. I hope they will keep you safe even now._

_Arthur_

She blinked and looked at the parcel a moment before reaching out and untying the bundle, her eyes widening as she dropped the note to stare at the gift Arthur had given her...a pair of sais. They were very basic, they weren't gaudy or extravagant or anything, they were rather simple but...they were hers. Arthur had remembered the one weapon she was even slightly decent at weilding...and he'd given her a set of her own.

She reached out and gently traced one, shaking her head. He'd remembered, not only that but he'd done it to help her feel secure and move on if anything happened to him. He'd even done it as a gesture to help her nightmares end, to know that even if his life ended, he would still be there for her in this final gift to her.

"Oh Artie," she shook her head, before gathering up the sais in their white cloth and heading to her room. She loved them yes, and she would be sure to tell him so, she was already entertaining the thought of wearing them in her brown boots as she wore them no matter what dress she had on, they laced up a good distance on her legs and the sais were thin and small enough to safely fit in them without cutting her. That way she'd always have them on her, she could practice when she had time and she'd be able to help defend herself and others...

Yes, she loved them very much, and she would certainly tell him...but after she'd gotten some rest.

Arthur was likely asleep at the moment and he'd be cranky if she stormed into his room to thank him at that hour. Well, that and...she loved sleep just a tiny bit more.

A/N: Aww :) I was debating putting Marayna telling Arthur she loved him in this chapter, but there was another place I felt might work better ;)

Some notes on reviews...

Lol, Arthur doesn't seem to have much luck with enchantments does he? :) I can say that things will get much better for Marayna ;) There might be one original chapter that'll be a little hard, but the rest should be quite nice :)

I'll definitely be doing Merlin and Sherlock at the same time yup :)

I'm glad you're excited for Leena ;) I really loved writing her story :)

Mordred will be back in an original chapter beyond where he's in the show, but I can't say when just that it won't be this series ;)

Lol, I hope your grandfather enjoys the show :)


	16. A Special Day

A Special Day

Marayna yawned as she stretched out in her cot, squinting and blinking blearily as she saw that…it was rather bright in the room…too bright. She shot up in bed and looked over to see Merlin's cot was unslept in, as normal, but that the shadows on the walls were too long and not in the same places. She jumped up and ran to the window, looking out at the sun and let her head fall forwards onto the base of it, shaking it.

Arthur was going to murder her!

She turned and dashed around the room, trying to grab at any piece of her own clothing she could find, which was not as easy a task as one might imagine, especially since she shared the room with her brother and his clothes were all mixed in with hers. She managed find a white dress and the frock that went over it, and pulled it on, quickly running a hand through her hair in a vain attempt to comb it out and look somewhat presentable when she went to face Arthur. She wasn't quite sure how she'd managed to oversleep. She was usually up rather early despite the fact she would rather sleep like she was dead and not wake up for hours. She loved sleep, she did, but for some reason it always eluded her and she could never hold onto it for long.

She was often up with the sun and waking up Merlin, and if she wasn't Gaius was and he would wake her and Merlin together. That or she'd hear Merlin bumbling about as he tried to sneak back into the room early in the morning. But none of that had happened it seemed as she was late for work. Arthur would likely be fuming because, unlike her, Merlin really could sleep like the dead. It always surprised her though, how easily he could wake when he sensed someone needed him. Whenever she'd have a nightmare as a child or not feel well, or whenever Morgana had a nightmare, he was up in an instant. All other times he was dead to the world.

"Ah Rayna…" Gaius smiled when he saw her stumbling out of the room, trying to put a boot on while she stumbled down the stairs, ending up falling on her bum as she laced them, "I have something for you, a gift…"

"Sorry uncle!" she cut him off, running to the door, not even grabbing an apple off the table on her way, "I'm late and Arthur will murder me!"

"Ray…na…" Gaius called, but she was already out the door.

He had to chuckle and smiled though, shaking his head at her antics and wondering if she even realized what today was and that she wouldn't be expected to tend to Arthur today. Not only had Merlin requested she have the day off from Arthur last night, promising he'd do ALL the chores himself, but…it was an unspoken sort of rule in Camelot, that this sort of day was the one day that no one expected a servant to work, truly just about the one day a year they actually had off.

~8~

Marayna ran through the halls, trying to avoid crashing into servants on her way…and failing miserably, she was always disoriented when she first woke up and given how she'd been rushing around her room trying to get ready so quickly, she hadn't had time to get her balance going…what little balance she actually had to spare. She'd tripped UP the stairs, raced around a corner so quickly that she'd slammed into the wall on the other side of the hall, tried to lean to the side to avoid a servant with a basket of clothes and ended up toppling into another that had a bundle of sheets. She'd stopped to help them pick up the already soiled sheets though, and then took off again. She was quite certain there had been someone with a chicken at one point because, when she reached the hall to Arthur's rooms she had a feather or two in her hair.

She honestly couldn't remember for certain though as it had all been quite a blur really.

"Arthur!" she gasped as she reached the door, only for it to open as Arthur stepped out, Morgana and Gwen with him, "I am so sorry, I overslept and…"

"Merlin didn't tell you, did he?" Arthur gave her an almost unamused look.

"Tell me what?" she shook her head.

"That you had the day off?" he cut in.

Normally he'd have stood there, playing disappointed, playing cross, and let her ramble on as long as possible and apologize and grovel for her tardiness. Normally he'd do that, but…it was a bit different with Marayna. It wasn't that something twisted painfully in his gut at the thought of guilting her about something that wasn't her fault, not at all, no, certainly not. It was more…he knew she'd never fall for it. Yes, that was it. She'd apologize once, and that would be it. She'd see him staring at her expectantly to continue and just give him a look, probably cross her arms and give her Gaius's eyebrow and then HE would be the one trying to apologize to her for what he didn't know.

So really, it was a better use of time, and less humiliating for him, to just tell her straight that she didn't have to be so flustered.

Marayna blinked, "What?"

"You have the day off," Arthur repeated, "Which I'd rather like to know why, if you don't mind. Merlin all but demanded I give you today off and swore he'd get his chores and yours done if I did. So…" he looked at her, "Would you care to explain what was so important about today that you HAD to have off?"

She blinked again, "I have absolutely no idea."

She really didn't, it was just another day in Camelot, there wasn't anything remotely special about it. The sun set last night, rose this morning, everything was going the way it always did except her brother seemed to have finally lost his mind.

"You never do," a voice said behind her and she turned to see Merlin walking down the hall, a small pouch in his hand, "You always forget what today is. Honestly Aya, if mother and I didn't keep track…" he tossed her the pouch.

She frowned, truly not having the slightest clue what he was talking about, '_Merlin…explain._'

He just shook his head and smirked, '_Open it first. You'll figure it out._'

She gave him a look and slowly opened the pouch, reaching into it, her eyes widening as she pulled out a small handful of berries. It was a small assortment of berries, just a couple different varieties that she knew were edible and grew in the forests. Sometimes, when she and Merlin were gathering herbs for Gaius, they'd take a break and munch on a few of them. But this…for him to have collected them and brought them to her.

"Oh my god," she blinked and looked at him, "Is that today!?"

"Is what today?" Morgana frowned, shaking her head, seeing Marayna looking at Merlin with wide eyes and not having a clue as to what was so important about the berries. She knew Merlin and Marayna ate them at times when they had a moment of rest, so why was there such a big to do that Merlin had gathered some for her.

Merlin just laughed, "It's her birthday," he told them, moving over to his sister and hugging her tightly, "And you always forget!" he lifted her up and spun her in a circle, setting her back down to noogy her head, "Always, every single year."

"Not EVERY year," she countered, smiling widely at her brother for his gift.

It was a tradition for them, it was something they did every year on their birthdays. They didn't have much in Ealdor, and that was fine with them, they liked the simple life more than anything else, and birthdays were something that were usually celebrated by the entire village. They were such a small village and, with how often babies died when they were born, those who survived were celebrated. The villagers would usually gather for a small bonfire that night and they'd just warm themselves and talk and have a bit of fun.

It didn't really happen with them though the villagers and celebrating their birth, it seemed to be something the others pretended they weren't aware of. It had made them feel all the more out of place in Ealdor, to be so cast aside and ignored that their birthdays didn't even get a small bonfire. So they made the day special for each other. They didn't have much to spare so what always happened was their mother would let them sleep in, the other tending the small crops with her to help out. And then they'd sneak off to the woods and gather berries, because berries were free, they just took so long to gather at times that it was tedious. But they'd still gather them, and bring them back. Their mother would use just the tiniest bit of sugar that she rationed for the year to sweeten them a bit and they'd wait till one of them woke, for the other to present their gift, the berries. It was the simplest of gestures, but it meant SO much to them and they loved it.

"If it weren't for mother and I you'd not know you're 20!" Merlin laughed.

"You're 20 today?" Gwen looked at her with a smile, "Well happy birthday to you both."

Merlin blinked, "Us both?"

"You're twins aren't you?" she laughed, "Don't they usually have the same birthday?"

"We're not twins Gwen," Marayna told her with a smile, she knew they often gave that impression though, they were so close and acted and looked so much alike that people often though that, "Merlin's older than me by a few months."

"Mum always said it was like she'd just had me and then found out she was having Aya too," Merlin nodded, putting his arm around her shoulders.

"So Morgana's the oldest of us, then," Gwen nodded.

She was the second oldest, just a few months older than Arthur was. Arthur, had celebrated his coming of age, his 21st birthday only last month, and Merlin was older than Marayna, by nearly a year, so his birthday had to be in a month or so or something like that. Morgana was older than Arthur by almost 4 years, that was how old she'd been when she'd first arrived in Camelot, having come with Ygraine, the daughter of her first husband, Gorlois, by his own first wife, and taken in by Uther. Poor Ygraine, she thought briefly, was the second wife of two different men. But she loved Morgana as though she were her own and she had heard tales, whispers really, of how Morgana and Ygraine had been together, mostly stories from Morgana herself, who had only been a very little girl when Ygraine had died.

It had been odd though, when she looked at portraits of Morgana and her father and Ygraine, well, really there was only one. But Morgana looked like Gorlois, yes…but there was just something…different about seeing them together. It had always been her opinion that children had their mother's noses and their father's chins for some reason, she didn't know why, she just thought that. Morgana didn't have Gorlois' chin, but she…she did seem to have his nose…which was odd. But then again, that wasn't always the case.

"Thank you for bringing up my old age Gwen," Morgana joked, nudging Gwen a bit as the girl blushed for her flub, she knew the age of a woman was a delicate thing, especially in court, especially for Morgana. She was well within the marrying age, yet was still unwed, something that was…quite unusual given how young most noblewomen were married off.

She supposed Uther just had too soft a place in his heart to do that to her. Or perhaps it was his own belief that her father should have been there to select a suitable companion for her and Uther just…hadn't found one to honor Gorlois enough. She didn't know.

"Oh my God," Marayna blinked, "Does that mean…I'm the baby? Still!?" she groaned at that, she'd been the youngest of her and Merlin and now she was still the youngest of their group of friends.

"Well you certainly act like it," Merlin remarked…only for her to punch him in the shoulder for it, "Ow!"

"Merlin," Morgana looked at him, "Why don't you take Rayna to the kitchens for some bread to have with the fruit," she gave him a pointed look.

He frowned though, not quite sure what the look meant, "O…k…"

Morgana shook her head and focused, '_We need a gift…_' she tried to say to him, practicing speaking in JUST his mind more.

"Oh!" he nodded, catching it light the faintest whisper and realizing Morgana was going to try and surprise his sister with a gift of her own. He glanced at her and saw she hadn't seemed to have heard what Morgana had told him, "Yes, bread would be lovely, I mean, come on Aya!" he turned and pulled his rather confused sister on.

"He's not very good at subtlety is he?" Gwen had to remark, having gathered Morgana's intention even without hearing her words to Merlin.

"Why would he need subtlety to go fetch a slice of bread?" Arthur countered.

The women looked at each other a moment, trying to determine if he was serious or not, "Arthur he's distracting her for us."

"Distracting her for what?" he shook his head, "What does she need to be distracted for?"

"So we can get her a gift without her knowing and telling us not to."

"Morgana it isn't proper for us to gift servants with…"

"Sais?" Morgana cut in with a smirk, "You forget, Arthur, Tom is Gwen's father."

Arthur's lips pursed at that, realizing now he probably should have purchased the weapons he'd given Marayna from another man in town. He hadn't expected Tom to tell Gwen though, he'd been very clear in his message that he merely required the purchasing of a pair of basic sais, nothing more about who they were for. Though he knew Morgana and Gwen had been aware of what Urry had done to Marayna and why, they'd found out about her small victory over the man with the sais ages ago, they'd probably worked it out.

"That was for her own protection," he defended, though it really wasn't. It had been his attempt to try and help ward off her nightmares, to give her something that was from him to…well, he supposed it WAS to protect herself. But it was more meant to be a comfort that he'd be there to protect her through the sais and…well, he honestly wasn't sure, he was certain the note he'd left her was utter rubbish and hadn't made a lick of sense, not that his own reasoning for giving her the weapons made sense in his own mind either.

"And this is for her birthday," Morgana countered, "Surely we can gift her with something today of all days."

"I already have," he crossed his arms, "I gave her the day off."

"Yes, you gave her the day off on the day that ALL nobles give their servant a day off. That's truly quite the generous gift Arthur."

"It's still a gift."

"A rubbish one."

"And what would YOU get her?" he pointed out, "It's not like you can just hand her over a jeweled brush, that's not Mara."

"I already have the perfect gift in mind, don't you worry," she smirked, "And I'd guess that Gwen does as well?" she looked at her maidservant who nodded, "All that's left is YOU Arthur," she moved to walk past him, heading down the hall, "You'd better make it a good one."

Arthur shook his head, he wasn't going to get her anything, no. He'd already given her enough as it was. Just last month, around his OWN birthday he'd given her sais. They really were rather basic and generic sais, not at all personal, more to practice with than anything, some sort of niggling reaction to Urry being there and realizing if she'd had the only weapon she'd been trained in at hand she might have been able to defend herself and not be hurt…but still! He'd given her a gift, many gifts.

She didn't need more.

So him going to the market had nothing to do with her birthday, it was just…he needed to make sure Morgana and Gwen didn't spend an unbefitting amount of money on a servant.

Yes that was it.

That was why he was going to the market.

…even though Morgana and Gwen were not.

~8~

Marayna laughed at a joke her uncle was telling her, well not really a joke, he was just recounting his past birthdays when he'd been a lad and living with her mother and aunt, she and Merlin were gathered around his small table, eating a slightly better meal than the mush they'd actually grown accustomed to, just…listening to him recount his childhood. Apparently he and their mother and aunt had had similar traditions, but instead of gathering berries, they'd go and pick flowers. As it turned out their uncle was quite adept at making crowns of flowers as a result. That had been his gift to Marayna that he'd tried to give her that morning when she'd run off, which she'd apologized profusely for.

Now as she was sitting there with a crown of baby's breath and delphiniums on her head, with her brother and her uncle, just…laughing. It had been a good day. After Arthur had found out about it being her birthday, he'd actually given Merlin the day off as well…and then disappeared for the rest of it. She honestly had no idea where he'd gone, just that a servant or two claimed to have seen him wandering the towns. Morgana and Gwen were also acting very strange and had barricaded themselves in Morgana's rooms the entire day, not even Merlin had been allowed in.

It had made for quite the quiet day but a rather suspicious one as well. She really had no idea what they were all doing that was taking up such time. She supposed that, whatever it was, it was lucky that Uther was kept up in rather bland council meetings that day, nothing drastic enough that Arthur was needed so the king hardly noticed the preoccupation of his ward and son, especially as they'd been back and out of their rooms for dinner, so he was none the wiser that anything had happened out of the ordinary.

They looked over when they heard a knock and then a muffled voice saying, "Honestly Morgana, you CAN just open the door."

Marayna rolled her eyes at hearing Arthur speaking, knowing that he was referring to the fact that he 'owned' the castle and didn't have to knock, yet insisted everyone else knock when coming to speak to HIM. Merlin shook his head at that and got up to open the door, smiling when he saw Morgana, Gwen, and even Arthur standing there, the two women with parcels wrapped in cloth and string and Arthur…with nothing.

"Hello," he greeted, stepping to the side to let them in.

"What's that?" Marayna frowned, eyeing the parcels as the women walked over to sit on either side of her on the bench she was on.

"Our gifts for you," Morgana smiled, placing her slightly lumpy gift, wrapped in dark blue cloth and a white string on her lap.

Marayna blinked and looked at it, "You…got me something?" she looked at them, "Is that normal? To…get people things?'

Morgana frowned, "It's your birthday, of course it is."

"Oh…" she murmured, looking at the parcel again, "Even servants?"

"Yeah," Gwen nodded, starting to frown herself at how Marayna was looking at the gift as though she were stunned, "Some nobles gift their servants on their birthdays, small things you know, sometimes an extra coin or a small trinket…"

Marayna was just silent, staring at the cloth, still not opening it.

"Is something wrong?" Arthur had to ask after a full minute of that.

"No," Merlin answered, seeing his sister blinking rapidly, "It's just…we never…neither of us, we've never gotten anything quite so…large, on our birthdays at least. Ealdor's a small village, we don't do much by ways of celebrating or gifts…"

He knew Marayna had gotten other gifts, from Arthur, he knew about the sais, about Bartok, he was aware, she'd told him about them. They HAD gotten gifts in the past, but…a gift like that, ON their birthday…that wasn't something they expected to get, it had been so common in their village to ONLY have the berries and a small meal from their sibling and mother that, to actually get another gift was…startling. Marayna had actually been stunned when Gaius had given her the crown of flowers and that was their own uncle and it was JUST flowers.

"We never get anything from someone else on our birthdays," Marayna mumbled.

Morgana and Gwen exchanged a look at that, "Well you will now," Morgana stated firmly, "But you need to open it first, I need to know if you like it for next year."

Marayna glanced at her before reaching out and untying the white bow, opening the cloth delicately to see blue underneath. She blinked and reached out gently, lifting the blue to see it was clothing. She'd almost fear that it was a dress, but…it was a tunic instead. It was a light blue tunic, embroidered with dark blue along the hemlines, swirls of dark blue really. It was slightly longer than her usual tunics, a bit more fitted than they were as well. If she hadn't known any better she'd have thought it was just a very, VERY short dress, but it was just a fitted, slightly longer tunic. She had to shake her head at the color though, it was the same light blue Morgana seemed to insist she wear as Arthur seemed to stare at her when she did.

"I love it," she told Morgana, smiling at her.

"Gwen made the tunic, but I did the embroidery," Morgana added.

"Thank you," Marayna smiled.

"And now mine," Gwen handed her her own small parcel, wrapped in brown with an actual brown string around it.

Marayna had to laugh at how excited Gwen was, the girl was biting her lip and watching intently with her hands curled in fists and her leg bobbing. She gently opened that one as well, and smiled, seeing a black sort of shawl, much like the ones she'd often seen other women wearing when the weather got colder. That was one thing she hated about outfits and 'proper attire' it seemed women were hardly ever allowed to wear jackets like the men did, but had to rely on shawls and other things instead.

"It's wonderful, Gwen, thank you," she smiled at the girl, it would be very useful and she was rather relieved it was in a neutral color like black. Lord knew she and her bother seemed to tax out the reds and blues with just hints of other colors popping up. She glanced up at Arthur to see him watching her with a serious expression, "Please tell me you didn't get me something too Artie," she smirked, seeing him roll his eyes at her nickname for him but not comment as it was her birthday, "I think this is all I can handle."

Arthur shifted when the others, even Gaius, turned to look at him. He knew that they expected him to have a gift, that they felt he ought to give her a gift, but there was Marayna herself seeming to understand the predicament he was in and giving him a way out of it. Still…he sighed, "Would you join me in the halls, Mara?" he asked instead.

Marayna gave him a curious look, that wasn't exactly an answer but, given how Morgana was positively beaming, she shrugged and got up, following him into the halls, glancing back at Merlin who shrugged at her as well, not having a clue what that was about, "What is it?" she looked at Arthur once the doors had closed.

He paced a moment or two, looking up and down the hall as he did so, before turning to her, "Marayna, as you're aware, gifts like the ones Morgana and Gwen have given you are…lavish in comparison to what is proper."

"To be honest Arthur," she sighed, "Them even wishing me a happy birthday is lavish in comparison to what I'm used to."

He looked at her, his expression solemn at that, at hearing that her birthday (and likely Merlin's as well) were so overlooked so often that even getting a single well wish on it was considered an extreme thing, "I merely wished for you to know that…you should not expect something like that from me. If you require dresses, I'll have dresses made. If…"

"If I have a nightmare you'll give me sais and if you try to strangle me you'll give me a horse?" she cut in with an amused smirk, "You're not setting a good precedent for yourself Artie. What, should I expect crown jewels for my birthday?" she joked.

"Actually…" he started, making her freeze as HE smirked now, reaching into his pocket and clasping something so tightly in his hands she couldn't see what it was, "I couldn't for the life of me think of what to get you," he admitted, "I HAVE set a rather bad precedent for myself, haven't I? I'd already given you a horse, sais…it's not like I could get away with giving you a suit of armor…" he took a breath and opened his hand, letting the object within it fall from it and dangle before her as she stared at it, wide eyed.

It was a necklace. It was a simple one, one that a servant could likely purchase on their own if the saved wisely. But…it was for her, a gift for her. It was small, it was a small red gem the color of the Camelot banners inside a heart that was more like a small cage in the shape of a heart, it was just…lovely in its simplicity.

"May I?" he held it up to her, taking the clasp in one hand and opening the necklace as though to place it on her.

She couldn't even manage a nod in response, just turned and lifted her hair for him.

He moved closer, putting the necklace around her and working on the clasp in the back…his fingers ghosting along the scars that were near the top of her neck, reminders of Urry's torture, making her shiver when he ran a single finger along it before he stepped back. He reached out and took her hand that was holding up her hair, turning her to face him as he held it…just…looking at her.

He reached up his other hand to touch the necklace, "Be careful," he whispered, only a hint of a joking quality in his voice as he looked into her eyes, "You have my heart," he murmured, his hand drifting up to her chin, lifting it as he leaned in closer and kissed her gently, feeling his heart truly pounding in his chest, as though it were trying to break out of its cage and jump to her, much like the necklace represented.

It was true, he'd thought, the moment he'd seen the necklace and knew it was for her. It was true what he'd said just now, something he hadn't been planning to say at all but…that didn't make it a lie.

She had his heart, he knew that now, she had his heart and she will always would.

Now if only he could actually TELL her that.

A/N: I can't believe this story will be over in 1 week! O.O Wow, time flies! Lol :) This is probably the shortest chapter I have written for this series, just so you know lol :) I really just wanted a nice sweet chapter for them to have one nice day with no enemies attacking and no enchantments, and no dangers, just...a fun, peaceful day, with a bit of Marayna/Arthur :)

On that note, I realized I'd forgotten to put in a note in an earlier chapter about the poll for the pairing name starting today. So I just wanted to say that today will be the last day to submit names for a pairing for Marayna/Arthur and I'll have the poll up tomorrow for it ;)

I also want to apologize that this is slightly late in posting :( I'm currently updating and posting a Sherlock story at the same time, and, I'm not sure if it's just something that's been drilled into me after writing for so long, but I literally can't make myself post a chapter unless I've given it a final read through/edit just before posting :( I usually do it the night before I post and, when I was working on editing Sherlock (and you'd think I'd have learned my lesson with how often this happens to me) I went to save...and those annoying 'webpage cannot be displayed' expiration pages popped up. I lost ALL the editing I'd done (2.5 hours worth) and had to go through it again, which meant that I wasn't able to get through this chapter before posting. I managed to edit it while at work before my boss got in (thank god for conference calls that make him late) and have literally JUST finished editing it now, I hope you liked the chapter :)

Some notes on reviews...

I'm glad you liked the sais :) And thank you! ^-^ I was trying to make the letter a little confusing but still slightly understandable :) I figure it wouldn't be something Arthur does much of, writing letters for gifts he gives anyone, so I tried to capture his sort of 'failed' attempt at it :)

I've got some twists planned for Lady of the Lake :) I did love Merlin and Freya together, but I also think it's very Merlin for him to love someone that's the 'darkness to his light' and try to keep her on the light path and hope there's goodness in her that he can bring out :) Dark and hate don't have to be completely negative emotions, like Dark isn't necessarily evil and hate, well, you can hate injustice, you can hate rapists and murderers and that's not a bad thing. We'll definitely see a little of that opposition in their natures come to play, it's like they say, opposites attract ;)

Aww, thanks so much, I'm glad you're enjoying the story and Marayna so far :)


	17. The Moment of Truth

The Moment of Truth

Marayna smirked as she glanced at Merlin out of the corner of her eye. They were collecting water from a well for Gaius but his attention was quite a distance from the well. In fact, he was staring up the side of the castle at the Lady Morgana's window, smiling softly as the woman appeared within it, looking down on him as well.

She reached over into the bucket, taking a small scoop of water in her hands and turned, splashing it into his face, laughing as he sputtered and wiped himself off, "Funny Aya."

"Yes, it was, wasn't it?" she smiled...her eyes widening when she spotted something over Merlin's shoulder, "Mother!" she gasped, dashing past him, the water forgotten.

Merlin spun around to see their mother, Hunith, nearly being tackled by his sister, "Mother?" before he dashed off after her as well, hugging his family tightly, when he noticed, "What happened?" he reached out to gently touch a bruise on her face.

"Who did that?!" Marayna gaped, her eyes hardening as she swore revenge.

Hunith just smiled at her children, they were so different, like night and day, there was Merlin, fretting over her and her bruise and Marayna vowing to hunt someone down and give them a wallop. They were so different, but so protective of her, of everyone really, it just...made them all the more unique how they expressed it.

~8~

Hunith stood before Uther and his court in the throne room, Arthur having gotten her a session with the king after Merlin and Marayna had rushed to find him when she'd told them what happened. She'd even gotten to meet the prince for a moment or two beforehand. She'd been taken right to him by her children in fact. She'd watched from a small distance away as they confronted him about their request, she'd seen how Arthur had seen them coming, had seen her _daughter_ coming and she couldn't help but smile. The look in the young man's eyes had been the same in her lover's eyes whenever she was out and about as a young woman. His eyes lit up and locked on to her, following her wherever she went.

And now, because of the kindness of the prince, who had offered his sincerest apologies that she had been harmed, she was able to make a case with the king, plead for help. Bandits kept attacking Ealdor, stealing the precious food that sustained them, they needed to be stopped.

"The winters are harsh in Ealdor," she began, "And there are many children. Some of them just won't be strong enough to survive. We barely have enough food as it is and if Kanen takes our harvest...our children won't live to see another summer. Please, we need your help."

Uther simply eyed her, "Ealdor's in Cenred's kingdom. Your safety is his responsibility."

Marayna scoffed off to the side, audibly, very audibly, though most ignored her when they saw Arthur roll his eyes at her. But she couldn't help it though! As though Cendred would ever show compassion or help his peasants.

"We've appealed to our king," Hunith nodded, knowing where her daughter's mind had gone, "But he cares little for the outlying regions. You're our only hope."

"I have the deepest sympathy for you and would have this barbarian wiped off the face of the earth."

Hunith started to smile, "You'll help us?"

But Uther shook his head, "I wish I could."

Arthur, who had been watching Marayna's expression the entire time, saw it fall, and spoke before he even thought of it, "Surely we can spare a few men?"

"Resources are not the problem," Uther agreed.

"Then what is?" Morgana asked, having watched the same thing happen to Merlin. Both nobles had the desire to help the ones they cared for, neither wanted to see the hopeless expressions on Merlin or Marayna's faces for even a moment, not if they could help it, and they _could_.

"Ealdor lies beyond the Ridge of Essetir," Uther remarked, "For an army of Camelot to enter it would be an act of war."

Hunith fell to her knees, clasping her hands together as she half-begged him, desperate, "I know you're a good king, a caring man. I'm _begging_ you, help us, _please_."

Uther looked at the woman a moment, before his glance...turned to Marayna, seeing the girl staring at her mother, concerned, before he sighed, "The accord we've struck with Cendred was years in the making. I cannot risk hundreds of lives for the sake of one village. I'm afraid Camelot cannot help."

He stood and turned to leave, ignoring Morgana glaring at him, his son frowning at him, but most of all...ignoring the disappointed look in Marayna's eyes. That girl...was _so much_ like Ygraine it was almost alarming, had Ygraine been a peasant, with dark hair, and lacking _all_ sense of manners and propriety that is...

Merlin and Marayna barely waited till Uther had passed them before rushing to their mother's side as she wept, hopeless.

~8~

Arthur stood on the battlements, a place he always went when he needed to think and clear his mind. He found himself going there more often ever since Marayna had agreed to be his servant. Often he found that the battlements, while clearing his mind of other issues, scarcely cleared it of thoughts of her. He'd seen her face, seen how devastated she was for her mother, for her village. He'd wanted badly to help her in some way, but...he'd disobeyed his father more than enough the last few months and another one would surely set the man to a rage.

"Camelot's lucky she has such strong walls to keep most threats out," Marayna commented as she and Merlin joined him, "If only Ealdor were so lucky."

Well, Ealdor _could_ have been. Cendred's kingdom, while not outlawing magic, was _far_ too close to Camelot for their mother to feel safe letting them use their gifts as they grew. But if they had, Ealdor would have been the most protected place in the realm they were sure of it because they would have never let this happen, they would have learned magic and practiced and made wards and protective amulets and everything, just to see their mother safe.

"I'm sorry," he sighed, "If it were up to me, we'd be on our way there now."

Marayna smiled at him for that, "We know, sire."

He glanced at her, smiling as well, pleased. The way she said _sire_, in comparison to when she called him 'My Lord,' actually made him...happy. It was almost like she was _proud_ of him whenever she called him that, like he'd earned just that little bit more of her respect. That had not been a concept he'd ever thought of or given much thought too in his life, the idea of earning respect from someone else. He'd been born to privilege, and because of that, he'd often felt that he just...deserved the respect of others as he was the prince. Knowing Marayna and Merlin, however, well...they were changing that. He was starting to think he didn't even want the respect he DID have from most of the people he knew, because he hadn't earned it, it had been given with no action on his part to deserve it. And he wanted to deserve it, he wanted to know that people respected him for HIM and not because of his crown.

"You tried," Merlin agreed, "And thank you, for getting an audience with the king."

"I wish that Camelot was able to help people regardless of how far away they lived," he muttered.

"Maybe she will, one day," Marayna suggested, nudging him, making him smile more. She always had that way of reminding him that all these ideas he had on how to better the kingdom _would_ one day be reality, when he was king. Reminding him that all he had to do was be patient and, one day, he would be able to see Camelot grow into the kingdom he envisioned.

"But as for now," Merlin added, "We're going back to Ealdor."

"Of course," he nodded, he expected that. He'd fight to his last breath to defend Camelot and, while he couldn't picture either of them fighting off bandits, having truly seen them fighting so little since they'd arrived, even Marayna's display with the sais had let quite a lot to be desired, he knew they'd do the same to protect their home.

"It's been an honor serving you."

Arthur looked at them sharply, his heart constricting as he looked at Marayna, "You'll be coming back."

Marayna rolled her eyes, "Of course we will, who else would put up with your pratness?" he actually started to smile at that despite the insult.

"We just don't know _when_," Merlin nodded, "She's our mother. We have got to look after her before anyone else. You understand?"

He nodded, "I'd do exactly the same. Well, you've both been terrible. Really, I mean it. The _worst_ servants I've _ever_ had."

"Do you truly mean it?" Marayna smirked, wiping away a false tear, "That was the sweetest compliment I've ever heard."

"Thank you, sire," Merlin laughed before he took Marayna's hand and they turned to walk off.

"Merlin, Mara," he called, making them pause, "Good luck."

They smiled and continued on.

~8~

"Here," Gwen called as they stood in her house, her helping them prepare for their trip, packing bits of food for the journey. Though now she was handing Merlin a sword, "Tell me how it feels?" she asked as he took it by the hilt.

"Yeah," he nodded, trying to seem like he knew what she was asking, "Yeah that feel...that feels really good. It's very, erm, you know...swordy."

Marayna laughed, shaking her head at her brother, "Your father has to learn how to make staffs Gwen," she remarked, "Just let Merlin grab some branch or stick on the way and he'll be just fine."

Gwen gave her a curious look at that, they hadn't actually ever seen Merlin wielding the staff they both claimed he could fight with, but shrugged, turning to another bundle, "I've packed some armor for you both."

Marayna frowned, looking at the lump of metal Gwen pointed to, "How are we going to carry all that?"

A curtain was pushed to the side and Morgana stepped in, dressed in trousers and a corseted tunic, "You won't have to," she smirked, seeing Merlin's reaction to the form fitted clothes. He was gaping at her, literally open-mouthed, wide-eyed, staring, "We're coming with you."

Marayna sniggered at her brother's reaction and reached out to push his mouth closed, snapping him out of his shock, "What do you mean?"

Gwen just linked arms with Marayna, "You're going to need all the help you can get. I can mend armor and sharpen swords."

"And I know how to fight," Morgana nodded.

"But y-y-you can't," he shook his head, still staring at Morgana, "I mean, why would you?"

"I believe my answer to why I'd run away with you would apply here," Morgana admitted quietly, a faint blush on her cheeks.

Merlin smiled and stepped closer to her, the world around him fading at Morgana's words, at the reminder that she'd said she loved him, "And my response to that is the reason you can't come."

Morgana looked up at him, "Why not?"

He reached out and gently stroked her cheek, his other hand taking hers, "If anything happened to you Gana, I don't know what I'd do..." he told her softly, "It's bad enough I have to worry about my sister getting hurt, imagine how much of a mess I'll be worrying about you too."

"You don't have to worry," she reached out to cup his cheek as well, "I've been able to best Arthur at times, I can take care of myself just fine."

"And Gwen and I will be there too," Marayna added, seeing he was truly alarmed and worried for the woman, "Us girls must stick together," she nudged Gwen, "We'll look out for each other."

Gwen nodded, "And if it was the other way around, you'd help us. You already have. You saved my life. You both have."

"And you helped us get the druid boy out of Camelot," he countered, "We owe it to you. Both of us."

"And it's not like Arthur will be there," Marayna added, "We can use magic to help," she reminded him.

He sighed, but smiled and nodded, bandits didn't stand a chance against magic.

~8~

"You got the food I prepared for you?" Gaius asked as they packed a few medical supplies, neither of them under the impression that people wouldn't get hurt.

"Yes," they replied at the same time.

"Be careful with the wine," Gaius added, more to Merlin than Marayna, "You know what you're like. One whiff of a barmaid's apron and you're singing like a sailor."

"More like screeching like a harpy," Marayna laughed, lacing up her boots, having changed into the light blue tunic that Morgana had given her for her birthday and her black leggings, SO thankful they were leaving Camelot for a bit so she could get out of that ridiculous dress for a short while.

Merlin rolled his eyes, "I'll be fine. WE'LL be fine."

Gaius sighed, "Are you _sure_ you don't want an extra blanket?"

"We've managed near 20 years without an extra," Marayna shrugged, "We really will be fine uncle."

"It's ok, really," Merlin agreed.

"Well, make sure you are," Gaius walked over to them, hugging them tightly, whispering, "Do whatever it takes," in their ears.

~8~

Their small group of five had ridden out of Camelot towards Ealdor, Marayna and Hunith sharing a horse. While she did love horses, actually riding them made her nervous at times, especially riding IN Ealdor. Just a few times really, more when she was around other knights with their armor and swords and the clanging. With her mother there she was doing well though, her mother was always such a reassurance to her that everything would be alright. They'd made camp when night fell, Merlin and Marayna getting a small fire going while Morgana and Gwen slept, Hunith sitting up with them.

The poor woman had nearly had a heart attack when, instead of lighting the fire with flint, they'd magiced it to burn. She'd started shouting at them for being so careless when Morgana and Gwen assured her they'd known of how special her children were for quite some time, knew of their gifts, and would protect their secret with their lives. It probably hadn't helped Merlin any when Marayna remarked that Morgana certainly knew how special Merlin was, the implication not lost on their mother who realized that her son had his first love travelling at his side.

"They shouldn't be here," Hunith sighed as she looked at the sleeping women, "Especially the Lady Morgana. Isn't she the King's ward?"

"Not that you'd know it," Merlin smiled at her, "She's the only person I know who isn't frightened of him."

"Oh she is," Marayna cut in, "But she's brave," she nudged her brother, "She has a reason to stand up to him, to fight him, much more than before."

"It won't make any difference to Kanen that they're women," Hunith told them.

"We know," Merlin nodded, "But I couldn't talk them out of coming."

Marayna smirked, "As though you really tried, I know you're secretly pleased Morgana gets to meet mum."

Merlin blushed a bit when the firelight caught the bruise on their mother's cheek, "I want to make him pay for what he did to you."

"We both will," Marayna reached out to take her mother's hand.

"Promise me you'll be careful," she squeezed Marayna's hand in return, before looking between her children, "I can understand that you trust Gwen and the Lady Morgana enough to tell them, them being here proves they would defend you in all other areas. But please," she whispered, "No one else can find out about you. No one from our village, it is too near Camelot."

"They won't," Merlin promised.

"They never do," Marayna had to laugh, the amount of magic they'd done around Arthur alone and the prince _still_ didn't realize.

Hunith smiled and nodded, "Get some rest," she stood up and kissed her children on the heads before turning to lay down for the night.

Merlin scooted over to his sister as she poked the fire with a stick. She pulled it out and held it up to Merlin, "Please?" she asked as the small bits of ember burned on the tip.

He smiled and blew the flecks into the air, "_Draca_," he murmured, his eyes glowing as the flecks collected, taking the shape of a dragon.

Dragons had always been Marayna's favorite creature as a child. Whenever she was upset, he'd get the dust or the pollen around them to swirl into the familiar shape. It was ironic, he thought now, that she should love dragons so when she was destined to marry a Pendragon.

~8~

Merlin was lying on his back, asleep, his head turned to the side, facing Morgana as Marayna slept soundly to his left, on her side, her back to him, facing their mother. He shifted as he heard a horse trotting in the woods before waking completely. He looked around warily, unable to see anything in the darkness. He grabbed the sword Gwen had given him, having yet to find a branch sturdy enough to act as a staff, and moved towards the forests around them, towards where he'd last heard the sound of the horse. A moment later he froze, feeling the tip of a sword at his back.

"I'd ask you for money, but I know you don't have any," he heard Arthur say.

"Arthur!" he spun around, nearly swinging the man's head off with the sword still in his hand.

Arthur though, luckily, ducked, "Put the word down, Merlin. You look ridiculous," he reached out to take the sword from Merlin, about to turn around...when he suddenly pitched forward, a thunking noise heard.

Marayna smirked as she spun the stick she'd found in her hand and caught it again, "I've been wanting to do that since Sophia," she laughed.

Merlin just stared down at the unconscious prince, laughing, this time she really had knocked him out.

~8~

Arthur glared at Marayna as she smirked, sitting across the newly stoked fire from him as he held a damp, cool cloth to the back of his head, Merlin chuckling quietly at them, "How much further is it?" Arthur decided to ask, best to stick to that than talk about what happened.

"Er, maybe a few hours?" Merlin guessed.

"How many men does Kanen have?"

Marayna sighed, "We don't know. Mum said he might have as many as forty."

Arthur nodded, "You should get some rest," he told her, before glancing at Merlin, "You as well. It's going to be a long day tomorrow," Merlin nodded and moved to lay back down but Marayna just eyed Arthur a moment, "What?"

She smiled, "You came even when you didn't have to," she remarked.

"I did," he nodded, not just that he came, but that he_ had_ to.

She nodded and moved over to him, "Thank you," she whispered, kissing him on the cheek before moving to lay back down, a faint pink tinge on her cheeks when she saw Arthur smiling softly at her action, reaching up to clutch her small necklace as she turned over and dozed off.

~8~

As their small group rode into Ealdor, they spotted the bandits already in the process of ravaging it, as a man Merlin and Marayna recognized as Mathew tried to get him to stop, only for a brute that could only be Kanen to raise his axe, about to strike a fatal blow.

"No!" Mathew cried.

When Arthur threw his sword right into the post behind Kanen as he rode up and dismounted, getting right to fighting the bandits.

Merlin rode up and hopped off his horse as well, hearing Kanen shout, "Kill them!"

He quickly lifted his sword to block an attack as the girls arrived, clambering off their horses to help, Marayna shouting for their mother to stay on her horse as she reached into her boots and pulled out the sais Arthur had given her, using them as best she could to fight off the men who attacked her, noticing Gwen and Morgana each holding their own with swords, Morgana even besting the men around her.

Merlin stumbled back as a bandit shoved him, falling back against a door, he looked at the man's sword, breathing, "_Hætende_," heating up the hilt till the man dropped it, giving him time to slash him away.

Morgana fought back to back with Marayna when she spotted a bandit sneaking up behind Arthur. She dashed forward and parried, killing the man instead, "Bring back memories of when I used to beat you?" she smirked.

"That never happened!" he shot back.

Kanen, seeing his men fall, quickly mounted is horse, glaring at the villagers, "You'll pay for this with your lives! All of you!"

And with that, he rode off with the rest of his horde.

A young man with brown hair, one who had been watching Merlin closely but not taking part in the battle, one who had seen the glow of his eyes, walked over to him, "You still up to the same old magic tricks again?" he asked, making sure no one heard him though, "Look, I thought I told you I didn't want your kind around here?" he paused a moment before smiling.

Merlin grinned as well, "I miss you, too, Will," he remarked, hugging the man, "It's good to see you again."

"How've you been?" Will looked at him as he pulled away, "I, er, hear you're skivvying for some prince."

"No. I wouldn't say I'm a skivvy."

"Merlin!" Arthur called, waiting till Kanen had disappeared in the distance before pulling his attention away from the man's retreat, "Gather the villagers, I need to talk to them."

"Yeah, in a minute. I'm just talking..."

"_Now_, Merlin. There isn't much time."

Merlin sighed as Will glared at the prince, "Yes, Sire…"

"Mara," Arthur turned to her as she helped Hunith off the horse, "See to the horses?" he waited till she nodded, gathering up the reins to lead them off, before he turned around to see the villagers had heard his shouting and had already gathered. He took a breath, "I know Kanen's kind. He'll be back. And when he is, you must be ready for him. First of all, we have to prepare for..."

"Am I the only one wondering who the hell this is?" Will cut in, crossing his arms as he eyed Arthur.

"I'm Prince Arthur of Camelot," Arthur remarked, straightening.

Will scoffed loudly, "Yeah, and, er, I'm Prince William of..." he trailed off, his eyes widening suddenly as Marayna stepped over with Morgana and Gwen, "Marayna!"

Marayna gave him a cold, nearly withering look, "William," she greeted shortly, making Morgana, Gwen, and Arthur look at her oddly, never having heard her be that curt with anyone before, not even Arthur! Merlin just rolled his eyes as Hunith sighed and shook her head at her daughter's reaction to the boy.

Will gave her a timid, nervous smile, "Still mad at me eh?"

Marayna just glared at him, "No," she remarked sarcastically, dragging out the word, "Why would I be mad at you?" and promptly turned on her heel to storm off, Morgana and Gwen giving the man a confused look before rushing after their friend to find out what was wrong.

Will sighed, "Yep, still mad."

Merlin just patted him on the back with a small grin, throwing a smirk at Arthur. He'd told the man that his sister could hold a grudge once. Though, if he had to be honest, this grudge was one he could understand her never letting go of. What Will had done...had had far more serious consequences than anyone could have foreseen.

"What did you do to her?" Arthur's eyes narrowed at the man in suspicion. He'd heard Merlin mention that Marayna held a grudge against his friend, Will, he could only assume this was the same boy.

"I didn't do nothing," he glared back, "Unlike what you just did!"

"Keep quiet," Hunith hushed. While she did love Will as one of her own, there was a sore spot whenever her daughter was around him. She herself hadn't forgiven the boy for what he'd done, but Arthur was there to help, probably because of Merlin and Marayna, "He's here to help us."

"But he's made things worse. Kanen will be back, and when he is, he'll be looking for revenge. You've just signed our death warrants."

"He saved Matthew's life!"

"That's alright, Hunith," Arthur cut in, "This is his village. What would you have us do?"

"We can't fight against Kanen," Will remarked, "He has too many men."

"So what's the alternative?"

"Give him what he wants."

Arthur frowned, the villagers shaking their heads, "Then what? Those of you who don't starve to death will face him again next harvest! And the harvest after that."

"We'll manage. We'll survive."

"How?" one of the villagers called.

"The only way he can be stopped is if you stand up to him," Arthur told them.

"No," Will glared, "You just want the honor and glory of battle! That's what drives men like you! Look, if you want to fight, then go home and risk the lives of your own people, not ours!"

"Will…" Merlin began, knowing why Will was so hostile to nobles, but he was still reeling from the fact that Arthur had disobeyed his father to come help them. That...was nothing at all like the man he knew Will thought Arthur to be, now he just had to prove it to his friend.

"I'll follow you Arthur," Marayna called as she stepped back with Morgana and Gwen. Arthur frowned, seeing that Marayna seemed to have tears in her eyes, or at least a hint of them. She hadn't been crying, no, but she WAS upset about something, something serious if the glares Morgana and Gwen were giving to Will was anything to go by, it looked as though they wished to kill him themselves but didn't want to leave Marayna alone, "There's no way I'm gonna die without taking someone else out with me."

Hunith stepped to her daughter's side, "If I'm to die, then I want to go out fighting," she agreed, proud of the girl she'd raised, the strong girl. To survive so much and lose so much and _still_ fight for others…

"That goes for me, too," Matthew nodded.

"And me," Merlin agreed, not about to let his mother and sister face this alone.

"You can count me in!" another man shouted.

"I'm in," and a woman.

"Me too! Yeah! You can count me in!" the villagers started to shout, making Arthur smile, there may be hope yet.

~8~

Merlin slowly made his way to Will's home where the boy was sulking, unhappy with the turn of events, fully believing that the village was doomed.

"I think the girls are plotting to kill me," Will mumbled, looking out the small window of his home to see Morgana and Gwen glaring at him from outside as Arthur tried to teach sword fighting stances to the villagers, Marayna speaking quietly to Hunith. The knights that had been there earlier had taught most of the children how to fight, they'd all grown up now, most had hardly picked up a weapon after that. He still had the sword he won, but he barely touched it, couldn't stand to look at it really. But there was Arthur, teaching them the skills they'd forgotten, having handed out the extra weapons Gwen had managed to gather to help them.

Merlin followed his gaze, "Aya wouldn't kill you," he shook his head, "Rough you up a bit. And you know you'd deserve it too."

Will sighed, nodding, "I know. I tell her I'm sorry every time I see her. It'll never make a difference though, will it?"

"Fraid not," Merlin remarked, before watching as Arthur mock-sparred lightly with Matthew, "He knows what he's doing you know. You've got to trust him. Look, when I first met Arthur, I was exactly like you. I hated him, Aya actually punched him. We thought he was pompous and arrogant and a prat…"

Will just walked over to a stand that had a chainmail shirt and tabard on it and straightened it, "Well, nothing's changed there, then."

"But, in time, I came to respect him for what he stands for, what he does, we both did."

"Yeah, I know what he stands for...princes, kings, all men like him."

"Will, don't bring what happened to your father into this."

"I'm not. Why are you defending him so much?" he rounded on Merlin, "You're just his servant. He turned you and your sister into _servants!_ I know why Hunith sent you and Marayna away, she said she wanted you both to have a _better_ life, and now you're both worse than a peasant and taking orders from a prince!"

Merlin snorted at that, "Have you ever known Aya to take orders from anyone?"

Will had to smile a bit, "No."

"We follow him and we serve him because…he's also my friend," Merlin added, "He's…Aya_ loves_ him Will."

Will stiffened and looked over at Merlin, not quite believing that. While he himself saw Marayna as another sister, the fact that she was sweet on the man he loathed didn't sit right with him. In his mind, she was too good for Arthur, though he knew his opinion would never matter to Marayna again, that HE would never matter to her for what he'd done, "Friends don't lord it over one another."

"He isn't like that."

"Really?" Will scoffed, "Well, let's wait until the fighting begins and see who he sends in to die first. I guarantee you, it won't be him."

"He wouldn't do that," Merlin shook his head, "Aya would smack him for it. She's…" he laughed, "She's got this way of making him think, feel guilty when he does things like that. But she believes he'll be a great man, and so do I. We trust Arthur with our lives."

"Is that so? So he knows your secret, then?" he eyed Merlin, but the boy was silent and he sighed, "Look, face it, Merlin You're living a lie. Just like you were here. You're Arthur's servant, nothing more, you and Marayna both. Otherwise you'd tell him the truth."

Merlin looked down and out at the men and women, watching as Arthur stopped by Marayna's side, putting a hand on her shoulder a moment to correct her footwork to benefit fighting with her sias as well before he smiled at her and moved on. He watched as Marayna watched him go a moment longer before she returned to her sparring with Morgana.

No, Arthur wasn't that sort of man.

~8~

That night, after a long day of instruction and sparring, the Camelot party were resting in Merlin and Marayna's home. Gwen and Morgana were on Hunith's bed, the woman absolutely refusing to let the women sleep on the cold, hard ground, even though they protested till Marayna compromised. She took the blanket off the bed and laid it on the floor for her and her mother to share, that way both were comfortable.

The men had refused any such luxury, not wanting to deprive the women of some comfort, which was why the girls were asleep and the boys were still awake, though also because of their thoughts on the day ahead. Arthur was lying on his back, his head towards the back wall, turned to the side as he watched Marayna sleep on her side, facing him.

"Have you always slept on the floor?" he wondered, asking Merlin as he slept with his head to the door, their feet by the other's head.

"Yeah," Merlin replied, just as quietly, not wanting to wake the others, "Me and Aya, since before we could remember. The beds we've got in Camelot's luxury by comparison."

"Must've been hard."

"Mmm. It's like rock."

"I didn't mean the ground," Arthur rolled his eyes, still on Marayna, "I meant, for you both. It must've been difficult."

Merlin shrugged, "Not really. We didn't know any different. Life's simple out here. You eat what you grow and everyone pitches in together. As long as you've got food on the table and a roof over your head, you're happy."

"Sounds...nice," he sighed.

Watching Marayna now, hearing about how her life was…he could offer her the world, he knew, all the riches of Camelot, a role as its Queen…if his father didn't have a heart attack first at hearing such thoughts, a prince and a peasant, the man would keel over. But…if he had…would she even be happy? she was so easy to please, it was always the little things that made her happy, a flower, a smile, even a lump of bread…he admitted he'd gifted her with rather extravagant items since he'd met her. Dresses, jewelry, sais, a horse…and while she always accepted it graciously…he'd noticed the care she took with them. She understood their importance to him, never treated it as though it were just another gift, but something unique to be cherished. And she always said that it was too much, that he shouldn't have and, despite them being a bit much...she understood that to him it was always a gift of meaning and not expense, that he wasn't trying to buy her affections but actually putting thought into each gift.

It was why it had taken him the _entire day_ in the market before he decided upon the necklace she was wearing. He wasn't good at things like that, at buying things not to appease someone else or just pick something sparkly, but...to find something that would mean something to Marayna...he tried, he really did.

"You'd hate it," Merlin remarked.

"No doubt. Why'd you leave?"

He'd always wondered that. He knew, well, he guessed, why Marayna had left East Anglia. She hated the prince there. But why come to Camelot? Why either of them?

"Things just...changed."

"How?" he finally pulled his gaze away from Marayna when Merlin remained silent, "Come on," he shifted, nudging Merlin's face with his bare foot, "Stop pretending to be interesting. Tell me."

Merlin pushed the foot away, "We just didn't fit in anymore, either of us. We wanted to find somewhere that we did. Mum thought Aya would fit in East Anglia and me in Camelot."

"Had any luck?"

Merlin snorted, "Aya didn't. It's why she came to Camelot."

"I know that _Mer_lin."

"I'm not sure yet," he admitted after a moment.

Arthur nodded to himself, finding himself hoping that, one day, the answer would be yes, for both of them. Merlin had actually managed to become a…friend…to him, and Marayna, well…she was something else entirely, "We'll start training the men tomorrow. It's gonna be a long day. Get the candle."

Merlin reached over and blew out the single candle that had been providing them with light, pitching them into darkness.

~8~

The next morning, bright and early, Merlin was helping Arthur put his jacket on when Morgana walked over, Gwen and Marayna helping Hunith prepare the food, "You still not learned how to dress yourself?" Morgana asked, frowning.

She knew that Merlin and Marayna were technically servants. She knew Gwen was one as well but…she always hated that aspect of life at court. She did all she could to make sure Gwen never felt like a servant, making sure that she understood they were friends first. She dressed herself, she made her own bed, she did all she could to try and ease Gwen's life, give her time to do her own things. Gwen helped her with her hair yes, helped her dress if her clothing was too complicated and required lacing, often brought flowers or made sure the room was warm. But she never ordered Gwen to do anything. She always made sure she ASKED.

She hated the fact that the man she loved was forced to wait on Arthur day and night. He hadn't asked for that position, it had been dumped on him and Marayna had been taken along for the ride. Her Merlin was worth so much more than to be a simple servant, she knew. She could feel it, he had such power and such wisdom, he would be one of the most important men in the world one day, he was already the most important man to HER. And, she hoped, she would be at his side, able to smile proudly at him when he got there.

"You don't have a dog and fetch the stick yourself," Arthur rolled his eyes at her, before offering to Merlin, "No offense, Merlin."

"None taken," Merlin smirked.

"Prince Arthur," Hunith walked over with a small bowl of lumpy porridge like substance, "You didn't finish your breakfast."

Arthur tried his best to smile through his grimace, "Didn't I?"

Morgana smirked, "Come on, eat up."

That was another thing. She never turned down the hospitality of others. Hunith had opened her home to them, shared her food, and Arthur refused it (politely) because of its horrid taste.

"Mmmmm," Arthur nodded, pretending to eat it till Hunith turned her back and he quickly shoved it to Marayna as she walked over, "Right. Let's get going. We need wood, and lots of it."

"Of course," Merlin rolled his eyes as Marayna just finished eating Arthur's meal, holding out a spoon to her brother as he passed, giving him the rest of it, not wanting their mother to know Arthur didn't like her cooking.

"Arthur loved it," Marayna smiled at her mother tensely, already planning to have words with Arthur about that.

Hunith smiled at her daughter, "He must care for you and Merlin a great deal."

"He'd do the same for any village," Morgana had to agree, "That's just the way he is."

"It's more than that," Hunith shook her head, "He's here for you."

Marayna gave a sad smile and looked down, "I can only ever be just a servant to him mum."

Hunith frowned and lifted her daughter's chin, making her look at her, "Give him more credit than that. He likes you."

"Mum…"

"No," she cut in, "I've seen the way he looks at you, I've seen how he acts. I rather think he loves you."

Marayna shook her head, "He doesn't know me, he doesn't know the truth," she sighed, "And not just about the magic," she added quietly.

"And if he did know about that," Morgana had to add, "Uther would sentence them both to death."

Hunith shook her head, "He'd never get that far," she said firmly, smiling at the King's Ward, "Because they've got you and Gwen and Gaius looking after them."

Morgana put a hand on Marayna's shoulder, "That they do."

She smiled and put a hand on top of Morgana's, "Come on," she nodded towards the door, "I need to find Arthur."

Morgana smirked, she knew exactly what Marayna needed to speak to him about.

~8~

Unfortunately, Marayna didn't get the chance to confront Arthur just yet. They'd gone to find him, in the middle of training the village, and seen Merlin leave Will's home, upset. Marayna had immediately gone after him, knowing that Morgana would be better able to get through to Arthur that they should let the women fight, stress that just because they didn't hold a sword didn't mean Kanen or his men wouldn't attack them too. She had to find her brother first.

Apparently Will was being his typical self and harassing Merlin to use magic against Kanen. It was one of the reasons they'd had to leave their home in the first place, Will had discovered that aspect of their lives. When their mother found out Will knew about the magic, she had panicked.

Merlin had begged her to talk to Will for him, she was always better at 'beating' the sense into people when they were being stupid. Will's attitude had hurt. The fact that his best friend thought he had turned his back on their village hurt. She refused though. She couldn't bear to be in the same room with Will let alone talk to him without fearing she would snap at him or try to murder him. She could remember when they were children, when they'd been as thick as thieves the three of them. Those were the days. But things changed.

She was the _last_ person Will would listen to. And he was the last person she would talk to.

She'd stuck by Merlin the rest of the day, glaring at Will whenever she saw the man, forgetting completely about what she'd wanted to say to Arthur. It wasn't even till that night when they were resting in her home, Arthur and Merlin asleep, that she even remembered and vowed to confront Arthur about it the next day.

"We don't stand a chance," Gwen whispered as the girls sat up, awake.

"Arthur can't see that," Morgana sighed, "He's too stubborn."

"If only he wasn't here," Marayna added, "Merlin and I could use our magic to help. It's not like the village would turn their back on us after we save them. And even then, we'd be able to hide and use it. If we run off now, Arthur will either come looking for us or call us cowards."

"Why do you think he came here?" Gwen asked softly.

Morgana smiled, "The same reason we did. Merlin."

"Well," Marayna smirked, nudging Morgana's leg, "Maybe he came for the same reason GWEN did," she laughed as Morgana blushed at the implication that Gwen had come for both of them while SHE had really come for Merlin (and Marayna, but mostly Merlin).

She could tell that the woman just didn't like being apart from Merlin. When they were doing duties and tasks for Arthur that was one thing, they were in the castle where Morgana could 'bump' into them, or in the courtyard where she could watch them…always close. Ealdor was an entirely different village in a different kingdom so it hadn't shocked her at all that Morgana had wanted to come.

"Arthur may act like he doesn't care," Morgana cleared her throat, "But he wouldn't be here if he didn't," she nudged Marayna back and giving her a pointed look, "I may be here for my love, but he's here for _his_."

Marayna looked over at the sleeping men, her brother and Arthur, smiling softly as Arthur shifted in his sleep.

~8~

The next morning Arthur stood before the villagers, "We're not going to be able to defend Ealdor with sword and sinew alone. We're going to need a plan. We need to find some way of limiting their mobility and drawing them into a trap. If we fight them on their terms, then..."

Suddenly someone screamed. They turned around to see a horse trotting up, Matthew, who Arthur had sent earlier to scout out Kanen's men, draped over its back, an arrow in his own with a note on it.

"Get him down from there!" Arthur shouted as they rushed over, trying to get Matthew down, tending to him as Arthur took the note.

"What does it say?" Merlin frowned.

"'Make the most of this day, it will be your last,'" he read.

"Matthew!" a young woman, Matthew's fiancé, wept as she cradled him, "No! No! No!"

"You did this!" Will glared, pointing at Arthur accusingly, "Look what you've done! You've killed him!"

"It wasn't his fault," Merlin tried to defend.

"If he hadn't been strutting around, treating us like his own personal army, this would never have happened!"

Arthur's eyes narrowed, "These men are brave enough to fight for what they believe in, even if you aren't!"

"You're sending them to their graves! You killed one man. How many more need to die before you realize this a battle that can't be won? When Kanen comes, you haven't got a chance. You're gonna be slaughtered!"

And with that, Will stormed off, back to his house.

Merlin sighed, looking apologetically at Arthur, before turning to head after him, when someone grabbed his arm.

"Leave him to _me_," Marayna nearly growled before stalking off after the man.

Merlin winced, watching her go, "This won't be pretty," he mumbled to Morgana.

"I hope she punches him," Morgana glared at the small home.

Arthur frowned and looked between them, feeling very much like he was missing something rather important, "What happened?" Arthur asked Merlin quietly, "He did something to her, I know he did Merlin. What was it?"

Merlin hesitated, "It's really not my place…"

"Merlin," Arthur cut in, "Please. If he's _harmed_ her…"

"It was a joke," he sighed, only half-defending what his friend had done, "Those knights that we told you about?" Arthur nodded, "They tried to teach us to ride horses as well. When it was Aya's turn, Will thought it would be funny to spook her horse. It…" he swallowed hard, choosing his words carefully, "It threw her and nearly trampled her to death trying to stop the mouse he'd tossed in front of it. She was…badly hurt, broke her arm, was bruised, bloody, other things. It was so bad Arthur that mum had to send for Gaius and he only just managed to save her."

Arthur nodded, he was no stranger to how badly horses could react when spooked, he'd seen grown men end up with fractures and severe injuries from the same event.

"Ever since then Aya's been terrified of mice," he added, she hadn't blamed the horse for hurting her, she knew enough of how creatures and humans reacted when they were scared, they just...lashed out and tried to get the scary thing away. No...she blamed the mouse for being the scary thing and blamed Will for being the one to think of the whole 'brilliant' plan, "She never forgave Will for what he did to her either."

"I'm sorry," Arthur said, putting a hand on Merlin's shoulder, sensing that even talking about that time was difficult for the man. He understood though, he'd felt the same when Morgana had fallen ill and hadn't woken up, he'd feared she would die, she nearly had. She was like a sister to him in all ways but blood and Marayna...she truly was Merlin's sister, his younger sister, and for her to be harmed so badly that even Gaius's skills had barely saved her...she had to have been in a truly bad way before he'd arrived.

~8~

Marayna half threw the door to Will's home open as she stormed in after him, "Don't bother, Merlin," Will called as he worked at packing a small bag, not bothering to turn around, "I'm not interested."

"And I'm not Merlin," she snapped.

Will spun around, his eyes wide as he stared at her, seeming actually frightened of the fury in her eyes for a moment, "Marayna!"

"What the bloody hell is wrong with you William?" she glared at him, "Tomorrow Kanen attacks, tomorrow the people you claim to care so much about are going to have to fight him and all you can do is stand there and harp at Arthur when he's trying to help save all of us!"

"He's _condemned_ us!" he shouted back, "Just because you're mooning over him doesn't mean the rest of us are!"

"You don't know_ anything_ about what I feel for Arthur, so don't you dare go there! This isn't about Arthur, this is about your friends. But this is just SO you isn't it William? First sign of trouble, you run off. You're just going to abandon them!"

"Just like you and Merlin did!" he countered.

"I was SENT away!" she remarked, "We both were. We HAD to be. Merlin's life was in danger because of you and your snooping and there were no prospects for me here. Everyone in the village knows about what happened to me! I had to leave, I needed to find something else to do with my life, some sort of craft or..."

Will, though feeling like a dagger had stabbed him in the heart at her words, scoffed, "You didn't need to go find a craft. You had one already. If you used your magic, if you and Merlin teamed up, then no one else would have to die."

Marayna shook her head, "You want us to use magic to kill someone else. How is _that_ going to ever change anyone's ideas about magic if that's all it's good for? We do that, we condemn a world far larger than our village to death."

"You don't do that," he countered, "You condemn your friends and family to death."

She shook her head, "I'm not the one planning to abandon my people Will," she shook her had, "You are."

And with that, she turned and left.

~8~

Merlin and Arthur sat side by side outside Merlin's home, sharpening swords that Morgana and Gwen had gathered, "William's father was killed fighting for King Cenred, so he doesn't trust anyone of nobility," Merlin explained.

"Do you think the villagers believed him?" Arthur asked quietly.

"After seeing Aya storm after him," Merlin smiled, "No. He's always been a troublemaker."

Arthur hesitated, looking out into the crowd, watching as Marayna and Morgana took over the lessons, teaching the women this time, "And if he's right?"

"He isn't."

"But if he is?"

Merlin shook his head, "Aya wouldn't have defended you if he was," he remarked, "You've seen her. She'll be the first to tell you if you're being a right old prat."

Arthur had to smile at that, it was true. Marayna would call him out on his shortcomings and arrogance at the first moment. But she'd defended him, which meant she believed what he was doing was right, "I'm treating these men like soldiers," Arthur admitted though, "And they're not. You've seen them fight. They...they haven't got a clue! You need to tell them all to leave the village before Kanen returns."

Merlin shook his head, "No, we're going to stay, we're going to fight, and we're going to win."

"Merlin, it can't be done. The odds are too great."

"It can. We're going to make Kanen rue the day he ever came to this village. All you need to do is get the men ready for battle, and the rest will take care of itself."

Arthur scoffed, "How?"

"Aya used to tell me something when I was younger, when I…" he trailed off, not wanting to reveal that the conversation was about to turn to magic and his complete lack of control of it as a child, what she had said to try and help him learn how she controlled it, not that she really knew how she did that either, "I had trouble doing things. She would just say, you've just got to believe it can or can't happen. And she's right," he looked at Arthur, "Believe in them. Because if you don't, they'll sense it, and the battle'll be lost before it's even begun."

Arthur nodded absently, lost in thought on the wisdom of his servants.

~8~

Arthur stood before the villagers, "Tomorrow morning, Kanen will attack."

"I know you," Marayna stepped up, looking at the women, cutting off Arthur before he could regret his decision to let them fight, "We have as much right to fight for their lives as the men, we brought them into this world we can take them out, right?!"

The women cheered, making Arthur smile, even as he shook her head at her 'declaring war', "This is your home. If you want to fight to defend it, that's your choice. I'd be honored to stand alongside you. Kanen attacks tomorrow. Kanen's brutal. He fights only to kill, which is why he will never defeat us. Look around," he smiled, recalling what Marayna had once said about circles, "In this circle, we're all equals. You're not fighting because someone's ordering you to, you're fighting for so much more than that. You fight for your homes. You fight for your family. You fight for your friends. You fight for the right to grow crops in peace. And if you fall, you fall fighting for the noblest of causes: fighting for your very right to survive! And when you're old and grey, you'll look back on this day, and you'll know you earned the right to live every day in between! So you fight! For your family! For your friends! For Ealdor!"

The villagers stood, raising their swords, cheering, "For Ealdor! Ealdor! Ealdor! Ealdor! Ealdor! Ealdor! Ealdor!"

Arthur looked over at Marayna to see her beaming at him, such pride in her eyes, "Well done sire," she smiled.

He nodded at her, smiling in return.

~8~

Hunith sat in her home, thinking, pensive, when Merlin stepped in and hung up his jacket, "Where's your sister?" she asked.

He smirked, "She finally remembered what she wanted to talk to Arthur about, she's cornering him now."

After the excitement of Arthur's speech had worn off, Marayna remembered her mother's cooking and how Arthur had rebuffed it, before she stormed off after the prince. He had to laugh at that, his sister was so changeable, one minute praising and the next chastising, it was amusing and bound to confuse Arthur.

"Come here," she gestured him over and he sat beside her as she reached out to stroke his face, "I do love you, my boy, you and your sister are the most precious things in my life."

Merlin frowned, "What's wrong?"

She sighed, "I should never have gone to Camelot. I've ruined everything for you and Marayna," she blinked back her tears, "I never should have sent you away."

"You haven't," he shook his head, reaching out to take her hand, "Mother, if you hadn't I…I never would have met Morgana," he admitted quietly, confirming his mother's thoughts about his relationship with the young noblewoman, "And Aya, she never would have met Arthur, she'd be trapped with Richard. We never would have found a purpose for our magic," he looked at her imploringly, "Why would you say that?"

"I know what you're planning to do," she told him, "You two never could keep secrets from me."

He sighed, "If it comes to a choice between saving people's lives and revealing who we really are," he shrugged, "There is no choice. Aya and I agree."

"You can't let Arthur know about your gifts," she whispered, fearful.

"Why not? Mum…you haven't truly seen him around Aya. He's…he cares about her. I really think he might love her. When…when Morgana found out about my magic, she wanted to run away with me," he gave a soft laugh, beaming at the thought, "Could you imagine? The King's Ward willing to give up all that for a simple peasant? Arthur may be proud, but he's a good man. He'd never harm Aya, not ever. And, maybe...it's meant to be this way. If he doesn't accept us for who we really are, then he's not the friend I hoped he was and he's certainly not the man who deserves Aya."

Hunith smiled, "When did you become so wise?"

He just grinned and shrugged.

~8~

"Arthur!" Marayna shouted as she stomped over to him in the woods where he was standing watch, a small bowl of food in her hand, "Mum thought you might want to eat."

"Thanks," he smiled as she handed him the bowl, grimacing at it, "I think."

Marayna crossed her arms over her chest, "Food is scarce for the village, and this," she gestured at the food, "Is even rarer. How dare you insult my mother's cooking by turning your nose up at it!?"

He rolled his eyes, "So you can be sarcastic about how great it tastes but I can't?"

As soon as Hunith had handed her that bowl in the mornings she beamed, thanking her mother, praising her cooking, before digging in. He hadn't been able to muster so much of that.

"I wasn't being sarcastic!" she nearly stomped her foot, "I LOVE my mother's food and that," she nodded at the bowl again, "That is something she only makes for special occasions. Mostly for mine and Merlin's birthdays never as often as she has now. We can't exactly afford it. She was doing it for hospitality, giving you as best of food as she could."

He blinked, he hadn't known that. This was really the woman's _best_ effort? But, then again, Marayna had grown up with the cooking, it was her favorite. He knew the cook in the kitchens would make him this delicious liver dinner for his birthday. He didn't know why, he just liked liver, but he knew many people weren't as pleased by it so it wasn't cooked often. It was the same thing here.

"I…I'm sorry," he murmured, actually ashamed for how he'd been acting, "You're right," he smiled at her, "And there you go, talking back to your prince."

"Well," she smiled, "At least you admit it."

"Yes, yes, I know," he rolled his eyes, "I actually apologized."

"No," she shook her head, "You admitted that you're MY prince."

He blinked again and smiled softly at her, reaching out to push a lock of hair behind her ear, just staring at her for a moment.

"You know we'll be fine, don't you?" she asked, if just for something to say.

"How can you be so sure?" he murmured.

"I have faith in you," she shrugged, giving the most simple yet most touching answer he'd ever gotten, "You've yet to truly let me down."

"Thank you," he whispered.

She nodded and took his hand, pulling him back to the house, they had much to prepare for.

"Hold on," he called, tugging her back a moment, handing her the plate back to pick up a rather firm, nearly straight, thick stick. He swung it around a moment and smirked at her, "What do you think?" he held it up.

"Looks like a staff to me," she grinned, before pulling him on again to give Merlin his new weapon.

~8~

Arthur had requested that the girls see to the villagers the next morning, leaving him and Merlin to ready themselves. Merlin stepped over to help Arthur with his armor when he shook his head, "No, not today. Put on your own."

Merlin nodded and moved to do the same, struggling to get one of the buckles on his wrist done up. Arthur shook his head and moved to help him, smiling a bit. If Marayna had been there she would have smiled at him for doing such a small thing for her brother, "You ready?" he asked.

"My throat's dry," Merlin admitted.

Arthur nodded, "Me too," he held out a hand to Merlin and shook it, "It's been an honor."

Merlin took a breath, knowing he had to say something, "Whatever happens out there today, please don't think any differently of me or of Marayna."

Arthur frowned, concerned at how Merlin had said her full name, in all the time he'd known them Merlin almost always called her Aya unless he was terrified for her, furious with her, or introducing her, and he didn't seem any of those three, "I won't. It's alright to be scared, Merlin."

"That's not what I meant."

"What is it? If you've got something to say, now's the time to say it."

Merlin took a breath, ready to tell him, when Morgana rushed in, "Arthur. They've crossed the river!"

Arthur grabbed his sword and rushed outside to see the villagers ready, he quickly made his way among them, shaking the hands of those who were ready to stand up, "You ready?"

"Ready," one of the men nodded.

"For Ealdor," he paused when he reached Marayna at the end, "Are you frightened?"

She smirked, "Not in the least," she gave him a wink, noticing Merlin standing with Morgana, clutching his 'staff,' both of them seeming determined to protect the other as Gwen made her way to Hunith's side.

He nodded and they all dashed off, ready to set their plan in motion, hiding, waiting as Kanen and his men rode out of the woods and into the village, "Hold," Arthur called to the others, "No one moves until they give the signal!" he watched as Kanen looked around, thinking the village empty, "Hold."

Kanen sneered, "Come out, come out wherever you are."

"Now," Gwen shouted, seeing Marayna nod from across the way, "Pull!"

She and a villager pulled a hidden gate up, trapping the riders inside as Morgana tried to light a fire with flint.

"Now, Morgana!" Arthur cried.

Merlin rushed to her side, glancing up to see Arthur's back to him and smirked at Morgana, putting a finger to his lips as his eyes glowed golden. A fire sprung up, rushing along a prepared line, trapping the rest of the riders.

Morgana cheered and gave him a quick peck before they leapt to their feet to see a few of the men riding away.

"Come back!" Kanen glared, "Don't run away!"

"Now!" Arthur ordered and everyone gave a fierce cry and ran out into the open, fighting the bandits as best they could.

Marayna swung her sais at one man, slashing him across the face when another rider came up behind her…only to be knocked off the horse by Will, jumping off a roof in his father's armor.

"Finally grew a spine?" she shot at him.

"Repaying a debt," he countered, looking at her meaningfully.

She shook her head, "It won't _ever_ be repaid Will."

He nodded, "I know Rayna."

They both nodded at each other in understanding, whatever issue they had with each other, was put to rest for now as they turned back to fighting.

The battle had been waged for only a few brief minutes and already they could tell the villagers were losing, the bandits were just too strong.

"There's too many of them!" Will called as he and Marayna reached Merlin and Morgana.

Merlin and Marayna looked at each other a moment before nodding, "Not for us there aren't," Merlin breathed, reaching out to take his sister's hand.

"_Cume thoden_," they whispered, throwing out their hands.

Morgana watched in awe as their eyes flashed and a windstorm was conjured…her eyes widening when she saw _Arthur_ had noticed the strange gusts as well. The wind attacked the bandits, leaving the villagers safe, allowing them the opportunity to start to fight back, to start to _win_. And suddenly the bandits were fleeing, chased off by the storm as the villagers cheered.

Gwen ran over and hugged Morgana tightly, Hunith rushing to her children to check on them, pride in her eyes as she knew it had been them that conjured the wind.

"Pendragon!" Kanen snarled, stomping towards Arthur, who turned and deftly started to fight and defend himself, until he was able to deal a fatal blow, running the leader of the bandits through.

Arthur barely waited till Kanen had fallen before marching over to his servants, anger and a hint of betrayal evident in his stance and expression, "Who did that?" he demanded.

"What?" Merlin swallowed hard.

"Wind like that doesn't just appear from nowhere. I know magic when I see it. One of you made that happen," he looked between them and Will.

Marayna took a breath, "Arthur..."

"Look out!" Will suddenly cried, shoving Arthur out of the way just as the dying Kanen launched an arrow at them from a crossbow, striking Will in the chest before dying.

"Will!" Merlin shouted, rushing to his friends side, they hadn't even noticed…

"You just saved my life," Arthur moved to his side as well.

"Yeah," Will groaned, wincing in pain, "Don't know what I was thinking."

It was a lie. He knew exactly what he was thinking. Arthur wasn't just a prince, but Merlin's friend, Marayna's love…he _couldn't_ let the man die if just for those last two reasons alone. No matter what happened, he DID care for Merlin and Marayna, they were the only family he had left after his father had died, Hunith had always treated him like one of her own, they were as good as siblings in his head, even if he'd crossed a few lines with the both of them.

"Come on!" Arthur called a few men over, "Get him inside!" he, Merlin, and a few men hefted Will up, carrying him as balanced as they could into the nearest home, placing him on a table.

"That's twice I've saved you," Will muttered.

"Twice?" Arthur frowned.

"Yeah, it was me. _I'm_ the one that used the magic."

"Will, don't," Merlin shook his head, seeing what Will was going to do.

Arthur gave Merlin a look, almost slightly betrayed that he had known a sorcerer and hadn't said anything. He was trying, very hard really, to try and look at the act of a sorcerer instead of the sorcerer himself, to try and see their intention. But he wanted to KNOW someone was one first, he didn't ever want to find himself around one and be unaware that they could kill him at any moment if they chose. IF they chose, yes, but he wanted to at least be on guard till he knew if they were a decent human being.

"It's alright, Merlin," Will winced, "I won't be alive long enough for anyone to do anything to me," he turned to Arthur, "I did it. I saw how desperate things were becoming and I had to do something."

"You're a sorcerer?" Arthur eyed him.

"Yeah. What are you gonna do? Kill me?" he laughed but started to groan instead.

"No," Arthur shook his head, "Of course not," he looked at Marayna and Merlin, "Do what you can for him."

They nodded and Arthur put his hand on Will's shoulder, offering that single comfort before rushing Morgana and the others out, knowing that, living with Gaius, they would have more knowledge of healing, not knowing that Morgana was a natural healer in terms of magic. Not that Morgana could help, Arthur had seen the wound, it was too deep, too quickly bleeding out, if she healed him now...Arthur would know something else was amiss...

"I was right about him," Will panted, "I told you he was going to get me killed."

"You're not going to die," Merlin insisted.

"You're a good man, Merlin. A great man. And you, Marayna," he winced, looking at her, "You're a beautiful, strong woman. And I'm so sorry," she nodded, blinking back tears, despite what he'd done to her, she didn't wish him _dead_, "One day," his head lulled to Merlin, "You're going to be servant to a great king and you," he smiled at her, "You'll make the best queen anyone's ever seen. Now you can still make that happen."

"Thanks to you," Merlin whispered.

"This place has been boring without you. It was good to see you both again."

"Yeah, you too."

Will nodded, before gripping their hands, "…I'm scared."

Marayna swallowed hard, "It'll be alright Will," she whispered, reaching out to stroke his hair, "You'll be fine."

Will blinked, starting to smile at how she seemed to have forgiven him, even though he knew, deep down, she hadn't. He'd wounded her too deeply with his prank, he knew but at least he knew she didn't hate him, that...that she still cared.

His eyes drifted closed as his head lulled to the side.

A moment later Marayna pulled Merlin into her arms as he wept for the loss of his dearest friend.

~8~

That night a funeral pyre had been erected for Will, the entire village gathered to honor him.

"I'm sorry," Arthur murmured to Merlin as they stood before the pyre, "I know he was a close friend."

"He still is," Merlin remarked, squeezing Marayna's hand tightly. She knew he'd rather be holding Morgana's, but…with Arthur there, things were more complicated. Neither she nor Arthur knew what exactly their own relationship was like, but until it was defined, until they'd both said what they felt...it couldn't really be defined as a relationship. And both she and Merlin, and Morgana, knew that Arthur wouldn't approve of a noblewoman and a servant. As long as he hadn't expressly said his own affections for HER he could still use the excuse and example of himself not being with a servant. But she knew that her brother and Morgana wouldn't have to wait long at all, because she was going to get Arthur to admit what he felt one way or another and then her brother could be free to be with Morgana around the prince.

"You knew he was a sorcerer, didn't you?" he glanced at his servants, "That's what you were going to tell me?"

Merlin swallowed hard, "Yes. It was."

"You know how dangerous magic is," he stated, more worried with how he hadn't known first, if Will had had darker intentions...it could have been disastrous, "You shouldn't've kept this from me, Merlin nor you Marayna."

Marayna rolled her eyes, "We aren't in Camelot Arthur," she reminded him, "This IS Cendred's kingdom and, while it is not widely accepted, having magic here won't earn you a death sentence. We weren't about to hand him over to your father."

Arthur blinked, startled at the anger in her voice. He would have thought she'd be the least upset over Will's death, but…thinking on it. She did have a point. This was not his kingdom, this was not his village, they were not his people, they were Merlin and Marayna's. This was their past, their heart, he could not ask them to betray a friend, to betray anyone like that. He'd seen how loyal and protective these people were of each other. He gave them a nod and walked over to Morgana and Gwen.

"You better be going," Hunith remarked from beside Marayna, smiling at her daughter. She never would have ever found it acceptable how she spoke to the prince if she'd not heard Merlin and Arthur speaking of how Marayna normally talked back to him.

"We don't have to go mum," Marayna turned to her, putting an arm around her.

"Yes, you do."

"If anything were to happen to you…" Merlin shook his head.

"I know where to find you," she cut in, "You have to go. You two belong at Arthur's side. I've seen how much he needs you. How much you need him. You're like two sides of the same coin," she sighed, "And you sweetheart," she smiled at Marayna, "Those boys would be lost without you."

Merlin smiled, "We've heard someone say that about us before."

Marayna nodded but hugged her mother, "We're going to miss you so much," Merlin nodded, joining in the hug.

"I'm going to miss you, too," Hunith told them, "When you left, you were just children. Now look at you," she pulled back and smiled at them, "I'm so proud of you. And, when the time is right, the truth will be known. Until then, you must keep your talents hidden. It's better for everyone."

They nodded, giving her one more hug before making their way over to their friends as they sat, ready, upon their horses.

A/N: What happened to Marayna when the horse spooked her? She can't just be mad at Will for a broken bone or two...can she? Believe me, there is MUCH more to what happened then than we'll find out here. But I won't say when we'll find out }:)

SO sorry that this chapter is late :( FF was glitching for me all morning and I've been checking to log on every 10 minutes since I normally post and it JUST started working. It wouldn't let me log on to update, but I made it! Woo! I hope you liked the chapter. Sorry it was late! :(

Some notes on reviews...

I'm an accounting assistant at a financial consulting firm :( And no worries, not impolite to me :) I just hate my job lol :)

Aww thanks :) I think I just get so excited about the chapters that I try to update as often as I can :)

Yup, 1 week, and then we get Series 2 ;)

My 4th Time Lady series will be out on February 28th, a couple days after my Kirk/OC story ends :) I'm glad you're excited for it ^-^

I was debating what Arthur should give her, and I just kept coming back to something small and something that would take him all day to work out what to get lol :) It definitely took him a while to find it :)

It wasn't that Merlin was older by a 'few' months, it was that he was months older than her. And that's in the literal sense, he's not 1 year or more older than her, he's like 11 months (and maybe a week or so) older, so technically not a year but still months :) Sorry for the confusion :) It's sort of like with actual twins where one's a few minutes early and never let's the other forget it, Marayna tries to play off the age gap as being literal months instead of a year, (a few months) so that she doesn't have to say he's a year older than her to lord over her. For Merlin, he plays along and just generalizes that he was born and then so shortly after Marayna was conceived and born before he was a year old :)

Not paranoid at all, I kept refreshing the logon page ever 10 minutes :)


	18. The Honor of a Knight

The Honor of a Knight

It was funny how quickly the tides and favors of court changed depending on the person that was in question. One would think that, in being a knight, that most would honor and respect said knight merely because of the title bestowed upon him. One would think that, should the knight dishonor and disrespect the title in doing deeds unbefitting their title…only THEN would the other knights turn on such a man, much like they had Urry. And one would think that the most experienced of men would have the greatest respect from those younger than them.

One WOULD expect that, and one would be wrong.

Camelot never ceased to amaze Marayna with how backwards it was.

It seemed that Uther had been quite invigorated by his duel with 'the Black Knight' and had been talking about the battle for ages now. He'd gone on and on about how it reminded him of being on the field of battle, something he had not done since before Arthur was born, at least against true enemies. They all knew he'd gone to war against sorcerers in the past, well, they SAID go to war…really they were quite sure it was more him laying siege to innocent villages and pulling men, women, and children out of their homes…but that was besides the point.

The point of the matter was that the king had been so enraptured with the pride he'd felt in besting Tristan and winning a seemingly impossible match that he'd considered hosting another tournament. The servants were all thrilled about that, truly, they were just oh so thrilled that they'd have to host even more knights and clean up all the blood off the walls of the arena once more. Oh the tournaments were always fun to watch, there was nothing more amusing than two grown men beating at each other with swords, at least to Marayna. She was of the impression that men would rush into battle, act and react accordingly and fight to their last breath any opponent that crossed their path. She was also of the opinion that women's battles never lasted so long or were quite so bloody due to the women planning out what they'd do before they actually did it. They observed, came up with a plan, and implemented it. They didn't just react and act but looked around and observed the best way to attack, they thought WHILE they were attacking.

But it had been something that Uther was determined to see happen and had sent out word for the new tournament. There was just one small detail that made it different than the other tournaments Camelot had hosted in the past…it was for those knights who were around Uther's age. It seemed his hope to have other knights that most would deem too old or perhaps 'retired' from their duties compete and see if they still had it in them. Uther himself would not be competing though, merely observing. They honestly hadn't expected many men to actually show up, but a surprising amount had.

Merlin and Marayna had been tasked with cleaning out the rooms again, though, thankfully, they were still rather clean from the last batch of men who had visited Camelot and hadn't needed much doing to be ready for the next inflow. They'd both talked about this particular tournament and their honest shock that so many men had taken up the challenge to compete. Neither of them could fathom it, wanting to get back in the arena after they had lived their lives out. It was their opinion that, having spent their life on the battlefield, seeing so much death and carnage and destruction in war, having had to prove themselves over and over, that the knights who had managed to live that long…that they'd just want peace after that. They didn't understand why they'd go back and strap on the armor and pick up their swords again just for a tournament. Hadn't they had enough fighting in their lives? Hadn't they already proven themselves worth of their titles? And what would happen to those who lost? Would their honor be tarnished? Would they be seen as less of a knight that they couldn't keep fighting?

It just made no sense to them at all that Uther would do this to the knights that were, by rights, too old to be expected to fight that hard once more. Arthur insisted a knight was never deemed so, they were expected to live their entire life by the code and die by the code and always be prepared to take up the position of knight of the realm once more when Camelot needed them. Many of the older knights had gone on to have children, sons who had become knights themselves, had become sort of instructors in swordplay and other areas of battle, advisors and whatnot. They'd built lives outside of being knights and lived them.

Merlin and Marayna just…they didn't understand why anyone would subject themselves to a tournament and to being beaten and injured just to prove themselves when they didn't have to, when they had already proven themselves. But then again…they had to admit they were much the same in their magic. No matter what, no matter who knew, they were always trying to prove themselves, to prove that they were GOOD and that magic wasn't evil. Even though Morgana and Gwen were well aware of that fact, given that they hadn't gone screaming to Uther about them the moment they found out, they STILL tried to do as much good with magic around them as they could, to try and reaffirm in a way that magic could be innocent and helpful. It was just…their entire lives they'd been told it was evil, left to think they were monsters so…perhaps it was more to prove it to themselves that they weren't evil on the inside.

And if that was the case, then they supposed the knights wanting to fight made sense, they were trying to prove it to themselves that they were still capable and still deserving of the title of 'knight.'

Which brought Marayna back to her thoughts as she stood against the castle wall, watching as Arthur ran the older knights through a bit of refresher training, just going through basic steps and positions, more to try and relax the nervous knights with some familiar things of the past. Her attention though, wasn't on Arthur, but on an older knight. The man was truly the oldest one there, his hair white, his face wrinkled, his blue eyes tired and holding wisdom. He reminded her of Gaius, if her were more 'bulky' and had shorter hair and just a firmer face. He was also a knight, she knew, had the absolute worst reputation of them all.

Or at least that was what he'd used to have.

That man had been, in his youth and even more so in his adulthood, just one step below the man Urry was it seemed. He'd been arrogant, the one who always picked a fight at the slightest injustice or insult against him, willing to humiliate others to make himself appear better. He had no concept of friendship, he had no concept of true chivalry if the stories about how many women he'd gone through were to be believed, and he'd had no concept of honor. He was a brute, he used his sword and status to get what he wanted and he fought his way through any who stood in his way.

He reminded her of a more forceful and eager to fight Arthur, the Arthur she'd met when she'd first arrived in Camelot though. Arthur had been arrogant and rude and crass and thought himself better than everyone merely because he was the prince. He'd gotten better, he had, but…so had the knight as well.

Sir Lucan had been the rudest, most arrogant, most brutish knight in the realm for a time…and what shocked Marayna to learn was that it had been encouraged! All the knights that had been around the man during that time had loved it. They thought he was the most magnificent example of a knight there was. They praised his exploits, they glorified his battles, they sang songs of his conquests…it was sickening how much the man's terrible qualities were seen as those worthy of a true knight. No one had seen anything wrong with how he'd acted, no one had tried to stop him or oppose him, they all thought him the best knight in the realm.

She had no idea how that was possible.

Lucan was everything a knight was NOT meant to be, or at least everything that, if Arthur's extolling were to be taken as gospel, a knight should fight against. Lucan was everything that Arthur despised and had seen in Urry when the man had been banished. She couldn't say she'd ever heard a tale where Lucan had beaten a woman, but he did instigate quite a few fights, disguised a few as being a challenge or a duel even when all involved knew that the opponent had no chance at all of besting him. She couldn't understand how all the knights in the realm were so taken with Lucan that they'd looked past so many of his faults. She could guess that, for Arthur, it was because he was the prince, but Lucan was just another son of another noble, nothing dangerous in the least.

And that was why she didn't understand how they treated him now.

Because Lucan…he wasn't that man anymore. Marayna was quite pleased she'd never had to meet the version of Lucan that all the knights boasted about and spoke of so reverently. The man she'd met had been quiet, soft spoken, polite and cordial. He'd spoken with her as though she were his equal, greeted her warmly when he arrived, her and Merlin. Merlin had been assigned to tend to the man as his servant for his stay and…she had never heard Merlin speak so highly of someone so quickly. Lucan had refused to let Merlin carry his heaviest bags with his armor in it, claiming it was his to wear and his to care for. He'd invited Merlin to rest with him after settling into his rooms, offered him the food and drink that had been set up there and excused him the rest of the day. He'd laughed with Merlin and joked with him and, when Merlin had offered to start a small fire in the fireplace of the room for him, the man had just waved him off and reminded him that he was a knight, he was used to sleeping on the hard ground and starting fires of his own and that he could do it himself.

Merlin had been stunned, he'd told her later, literally stood there for a moment or two just blinking at the man. Arthur was the same, he could sleep on the cold hard ground, he could light his own fire, and yet he made THEM to everything. He'd actually stood there long enough to watch as Lucan did just that, lit his own fire and settled down in a small chair to polish his own armor.

That was NOT the Lucan that they had heard such talk about, the Lucan who ordered servants about and kicked them if they were too slow, who went through so many that he wasn't pleased with that to be with the man for a month was an accomplishment. They honestly would have thought that Arthur had made up the tales of the man and how he was if not for hearing all the other knights at different times speaking of the same sort of events.

What bothered her was that the knights spoke so highly of the Lucan of the past and were so…harsh and cruel about the Lucan of the now. This Lucan, the one who had greeted her and Merlin, who had been so kind to her brother…he was looked down upon by the knights. And she didn't understand that! THIS Lucan embodied the knights' code so much more than he had in the past and yet all the knights treated him as though he'd lost his mind or had gone soft. It was ridiculous! He was honorable now, kind, understanding, he helped those around him no matter their station and he never used his title for power over others like he had in the past.

The knights whispered, she heard it, they shot him little looks, all of it clearly saying that they thought the man ill-fitting to be a knight, that they hoped he wouldn't win the small tournament, because he no longer deserved the title of knight given his new outlook on life and treatment of others.

And that was why she and Merlin were so determined to see him win.

Because a man like that, who had started off so arrogant and had grown to be, truly, one of the best men in the realm…he deserved to win. He WAS a knight, he was everything a knight was supposed to be, and even more than that…he gave them hope that one day Arthur would be the same. And it wasn't just them basing their opinions on observations of just his first day there, no…Gaius had told them stories of Lucan as well.

Lucan, apparently, had been one of Uther's closest friends as children, had grown up together and trained together, which did explain his arrogance they thought. Gaius had been a member of their small group when he'd arrived in Camelot to study medicine. The two were getting injured in their mock duels so often that the attending physician at the time had gotten so unamused he would just have Gaius tend to them every time. It had created a very close friendship for the three of them, to trust someone else with helping you recover had made Gaius an instrumental part of their little trio. And, as a result, he'd seen firsthand what Lucan was like. So when even Gaius had told them of how the man had been in the past…they listened and they believed him.

But, unlike others, Gaius was…the most pleased with the man Lucan had become. He still kept in contact with the man, met with him once or twice a year when he could afford to leave for a short while just to meet the man and renew their friendship. Lucan had left Camelot years ago to live a simpler life in one of the outer villages. It had seemed strange to them, that a man like him would give up the luxury of castle life for one like that…but Gaius had explained to them something no one spoke of…Lucan and Uther had had a terrible falling out ages ago. Lucan had detested the sight of his one-time friend and left, putting as much distance as he could between Uther and him while still remaining in the borders of the kingdom as knights were NOT meant to abandon the kingdom and the king they had sworn allegiance to.

None of the other knights spoke of the falling out, of how Lucan had come to seem to hate their king. No one spoke of it because they knew that the hate Lucan felt for Uther was matched in Uther to him as well and no one wished to bring up the other knight around the king or anywhere the king himself might hear them. They'd had to learn from Gaius that nearly 15 years ago everything had changed between the two men, that Lucan and Uther had had their fiercest row ever and Lucan had left. It was then, at that point, that Lucan had turned his life around. He'd left Camelot and just…begun a new life as a new man. Gaius was truly shocked that the man had even decided to come to Camelot for the challenge. But he suspected the man thought a chance like this would not come around again and wanted one last moment in the arena.

They'd been curious though, as to just what had changed with Lucan and Uther that had made the man change so drastically, dislike the king so much…but Gaius refused to say. He just looked at them, at Marayna actually, for a long moment, the most solemn and grim expression on his face, before he shook his head, admitting he was unwilling to tell them, that it wasn't his place.

They still didn't know what had changed Lucan like that, but they were determined to not just find out what, but to help the man as much as he could to show he deserved the title he had. That being a good man instead of an arrogant prick was something better to be remembered for. They thought THAT might be the reason for Lucan to have come to Camelot this last time. The man was older, yes, but still had life to him, still had his strength. They knew though, that with age no one could ever determine how long that would last and that Lucan likely thought this was his last chance to prove that, despite his change, he was still one of the best knights in the realm.

"Mara!"

Marayna looked up, startled out of her thoughts when she heard Arthur calling for her and noticed that the practice had ended, the other knights already walking off, some towards their rooms, others towards town for a small pint of ale before the tournament the next morning, to celebrate being back in the arena once more. She shook her head and rushed over to where Arthur was standing by a small table that held the weapons, two other servants were there already, gathering up the weapons so she had no idea what Arthur needed her for.

"What is it?" she asked when she made her way over, seeing Lucan taking a sword and helmet from one of the servants, his own belongings, before she turned to Arthur.

"I need you to sharpen my sword, polish my armor, and mend the strap on shield," he held out a bundle of the armor already, having already had a servant remove it for him.

"Oh come now sire," Lucan laughed as he made his way over with his own armor, "She's only a wee girl, could you not possibly bring your own armor to the armory at least to assist her?"

Marayna smiled at the man's thoughtfulness, but reached out for the armor anyway, "It's alright Sir Lucan, I'm stronger than I look."

"She really is," Arthur agreed, a small smile on his face as he poked her in the side, "All muscle there…"

"Oi," Marayna jumped to the side from his poke, "Mind your hands Artie," she hit her hip to his, nudging him to the side before she walked off.

Lucan stood there a moment, most amused, as he watched the Crown Prince of Camelot watch his maidservant walk off with the softest of looks in his eyes and, what he would deem, one of the happiest, if small, smiles on his face, "Artie?" he had to inquired, laughing heartily when Arthur spun to him, flustered that he'd been caught in such a moment. But he merely walked past the prince, clapping him on the shoulder as he went, to follow the woman to the armory, his own armor needed a fair bit of work and what better place to do it than the armory. Perhaps the girl could give him some pointers for his own cleaning and mending for, despite having taken care of his armor the last 15 years…he still hadn't gotten the hang of it.

~8~

Marayna smiled as she sat in the armory across from Lucan, the two of them just polishing the armor, Lucan actually polishing ARTHUR's armor with her as they talked quietly. She'd insisted he hadn't had to do it, but when she'd helped him fix a small dent in the visor of his helmet he had all but insisted himself that he help her with Arthur's copious amount of armor.

"You are…not like the other knights, Sir Lucan," she remarked to him softly as they polished away.

He smiled at that, "You mean I am not like the knights usually portray me?" he guessed.

She shrugged, "I suppose," not taking back what she said or denying she'd heard differently about him, there was no point in lying about things, she believed, unless it was life or death (like with hers and Merlin's magic) or some bit of fun (like corrupting the prince to go gallivanting in the forest or telling him she'd knocked him out), "It is…hard to imagine you like they say you were."

He let out a soft sigh at that, "It is hard to believe that I WAS the way they said I was," he gave her a small smile, "Sometimes…it feels like the most terrible dream to remember how I used to be."

She looked at him a long while before taking a breath, wanting to at least attempt asking him something that had been niggling her and Merlin, "What…happened?" she began, "That…led to the change in you? All I've heard was that there was a row with Uther and you left, theories that the time away helped you…mature or something."

She would have been a bit more hesitant to say something like that, something that a knight could take offensive, to imply he'd been an immature brat before he'd left Camelot, but…she got a genuine sense off of Lucan that he wasn't that many anymore, that he really was as understanding as he seemed to be now and wouldn't take offense to a simple question.

Lucan was quiet though, quite a few minutes going by before he spoke, "My daughter," he answered.

Marayna blinked, she'd had…no idea that the man had a daughter, she hadn't even been aware he'd had a wife! But she kept silent, knowing that he would explain more if he wanted to, and if not that would be the end of it and there would be no point in asking him more questions. Lucan struck her as the open sort, the kind where, he would speak what he felt and if he didn't speak it meant he didn't wish to share.

"She would be…18, next month."

"Would be," she murmured to herself, a statement more than a question, a terrible pit falling into her stomach at the solemnity with which he'd spoken.

He swallowed, "Yes," he nodded, looking more at the armor he was absently polishing than her, "She was just a small girl, barely three years old, when I left Camelot. I left…because of her," he let out a sad laugh, "I left Camelot, because Camelot took her away from me and…if I stayed any longer…I would have taken the king from Camelot for compensation. "

"Uther didn't…" she shook her head, feeling tears in her eyes at that, at the implication of it all.

"My wife was…lost in the purge," Lucan admitted, "All she did was…have the odd dream here and there," Marayna stiffened, hearing something in the woman that was so much like Morgana, "When Uther worked out that her dreams came true…he thought she had magic. And no one is allowed magic in Camelot and lives," he swallowed, "Our daughter had only just been born when he made this discovery. He'd…he'd been about to…" he cleared his throat, "But Gaius convinced him that she was just a baby, that there was a chance she had no magic at all and that he could not kill an innocent baby," he let out a scoff, "Not that it stopped him from doing that to other mothers," he added bitterly under his breath, before inhaling, "Still, it appeared my friendship with him, the fact that she was MY daughter as well was enough to deter him. But…" he shook his head, "He never stopped watching her, my Rosaline, he never stopped waiting for the day where…she would do something or her eyes would flash gold," Marayna swallowed at that, at how the man knew of the signs of magic, "And one day…they did," he said simply, looking away from the armor to rest his head against the wall behind him.

"I should have known," he murmured, "Uther never sent me out to deal with bandits in the neighboring villages, but he did. He sent me away and…when I returned…the first thing I saw was my daughter tied to a pyre."

"Oh my god," Marayna breathed, to do that to a child! That was…that was monstrous.

"He wanted to set an example, to use her to do it," Lucan grew quieter, so quiet that she had to strain to listen, "That no one, not even the children of his dearest friends would be safe. That absolutely NO magic be allowed in Camelot, no exceptions."

Marayna looked down at that, as though, for the first time, realizing how truly dangerous it was for her and Merlin to be there. She supposed, in the back of her mind, she'd always thought that, because they were Gaius's niece and nephew, that they might be safe, or at least banished…but this…for Uther to have done that to a three year old girl, the daughter of one of his closest friends…it hit her hard that there was NO one they could rely on to save them should they be caught doing magic, no one at all.

"I was held back…" his voice cracked, "Uther made me watch."

Marayna looked up to see a tear fall from the man's eye though he hardly seemed to notice it.

"I confronted him, the guards holding me back though, they knew I'd kill him if I had the chance," he laughed bitterly, "I wouldn't have, I would have attacked just so they'd attack me and kill me instead. Killing the king wouldn't have brought my daughter back, but attacking him would have put me out of my misery and allowed me to be with her again."

Marayna let out a breath at that, that was…not quite a logic she expected a father to have after having seen his daughter burned to death, but…he was a knight, perhaps it was different? He'd grown up noble, he knew the inner workings of court, he knew the reactions of the guards, and he knew Uther, he knew life and death and everything that could be expected. Attack the king and the guards would attack and kill you no matter what, no matter who you were if you were truly attacking as though intending to kill. End up killed by the guards…no suffering.

"But Uther knew I'd do it, he still considered me a 'friend' even after what he'd done to me," he scoffed, bitter, "He looked at me as though he'd done me a service, as though he'd protected me from some great evil…she was only 3, she didn't know what evil was, how could she be it?" he shook his head, before taking a breath, trying to keep his thoughts on just the events of the past, "He held me back, stood there as I shouted curses and obscenities and threats to him. He grew irritated I was being so 'unappreciative' of his actions and threatened me with banishment. I challenged him to do it, but he refused, so I left," he shrugged, "I left, I HAD to leave. If I stayed, I would have murdered him, and then Arthur would be without a father, Camelot without a king, a power vacuum happening because of Arthur's age. I left and I went somewhere that…Uther hadn't corrupted yet."

He looked back down at the armor and started polishing again, "I saw the sort of man I was in Uther. I had followed orders, I HAD taken the lives of others, likely innocent magic users, because Uther ordered it. I hadn't seen them as people, but enemies of the crown. It wasn't till Rosaline that…that I saw how corrupt _I_ was. And I didn't want to be that. Rosaline…" he smiled, "She looked at me with such pure love for her father, I was…I was her hero, I was the best man in the world to her. And looking back at how I acted…" he shook his head, "I wasn't worthy of that title."

Marayna nodded, wiping below her eyes as she tried not to cry, knowing that the tears would only cause the man more heartbreak to relive the story. She could tell it had to have taken much for him to speak of it to her, to tell her in the sanctuary of the empty armory his story. She understood now, why he'd changed, for his daughter, in her memory, to be a man deserving of the faith that little girl had had in him, to be a man she'd be proud of as she watched him from above.

"Thank you," she murmured, "For telling me. It couldn't have been easy."

He looked at her, as though just realizing he HAD told her everything, and offered her a smile, "You and the Lady Morgana…you look like her," he shrugged, "She had her mother's dark hair, more brown than black, and…my eyes," he gestured at his light blue eyes, trailing off in thought, "She would have been beautiful. I'd have been challenging every young man to an honor duel just to court her," he looked down, as though that had been the future he'd imagined when his daughter had been alive.

"Why come back then?" that was a question she HAD to ask though. As terrible as it was to say, to think or assume, but…she'd dealt with enough people how had a vendetta against Uther coming to try and kill his son to get to him. A life for a life, his daughter for Uther's son, it would make sense, but…if that was the case, she needed to know if Arthur was in danger.

She doubted he'd tell her the truth, but…if he lied, she liked to think she'd be able to pick up on that.

Lucan just looked at her, "I am not here to end Uther's life, or Arthur's," he stated outright, startling her at how open he was being, how blunt, "Taking Arthur from Uther will not return my daughter to me. Nor would killing Uther NOW do anything but enrage Arthur…"

"Now?" she blinked at that word.

He offered her a sad smile, "There were times I considered if it would have been better to truly try to kill the king when he'd dragged me before him," he admitted, "With Uther gone, there would have been a chance for Arthur to be raised differently, without a bias, without prejudice…but…" he shook his head, "I was still a knight of Camelot, I still had a duty to her, and to kill her king would not have protected the kingdom or helped."

"Then why…"

"I want Uther to see me, as I am now," he explained, "I have suffered, under his hand, I have lost things more precious to me than anything I have ever held dear. If _I_ can return to face him…so too will others he's harmed. I am a better man now, for my daughter, I am stronger, I grew stronger in my anger and hatred of him, I had to, to defend those of the village I'd settled into," he gave her a pointed look and she nodded slowly, giving him a meaningful look back that she would not say a word, because apparently the village he'd settled into DID have some sort of magic to it, "As I am stronger, others will be stronger as well. I want him to see that, though I do not come with the intent to harm…others will."

"You're trying to warn him?" after having lost his daughter…that was not something she expected.

"No," Lucan shook his head, "I am offering myself as a promise to Uther. He has made many enemies, and they will come for him, one day. I am not a warning, I am not an enemy, I will not do anything more than fight in this tournament and win," he gave her a smile for that last belief, "And I will prove to him that those he thinks are in the past, will always resurface in the present."

Marayna nodded, "I think he may be aware of that," she warned him, "There have been…quite a few attacks on Camelot already."

"Forgive me for saying, but…you have not been in Camelot long," he reminded her, "The Great Purge lasted…years…and still lasts even now. Every day Uther gains new enemies in his madness. These past attacks…" he looked at her, serious, "They are only the beginning."

~8~

The tournament itself was a small one, composed of two parts though, jousting and combat. There had only been about 20 men who had come for Uther's challenge and, within two days, the tournament would be over. Combat had come first, each knight faced another in single combat with any weapon of their choice. The winners dueling each other until one man had been claimed the victor of the combat portion.

Marayna was THRILLED that it had been Lucan who had won. Though, she was worried as he'd barely managed it. His arm had gotten rather badly twisted in an effort for his opponent to get him to drop his sword, a sword he'd hung onto and managed to trip the other man, aiming it at his throat. But it was his lancing arm, the one he'd hold the lance in and she was worried for him. He'd been lucky in the combat. His opponents had all seemed to think him too soft and had started off 'easy' on him…only for him to have them on their backs in mere moments, using their underestimation to his advantage. None of the knights had been allowed to watch the others compete, to try and not offer anyone any sort of advantage in observing their opponents skills and techniques. So it had been in Lucan's best interest to take them out quickly when they tried to baby him through the first rounds.

Slowly though, his opponents had gotten wiser and started to fight harder, and he'd only barely won. Gaius had provided a salve to help the man's sore arm, but it didn't appear to be going very well for the man in the joust. He'd nearly been unhorsed twice so far and the tournament was only halfway over. He was growing tired, everyone could see it, his grip on his lance was slacking as his arm hurt him more and more and…the crowd was cheering when he got injured. Not just cheering their typical cheer of just enjoying the showdown, but cheering as though they were happy that particular knight had been harmed.

Marayna did not like it at all, nor did Merlin, or Gwen, or Morgana. After she and Lucan had finished the armor, she'd found her brother in Morgana's room with Gwen, the noblewoman appearing to be meditating, clearing her mind to try and help her sleep at night without the potion Gaius often gave her. They'd been trying to do some digging about Seers and Healers and see if there was anything they could do to help Morgana with her visions and magic. It seemed though, that knowing she had magic had actually helped her feel calmer when she had nightmares, she woke up not scared of them, though the content did frighten her at times, but more aware that they were warnings of a future she could try to change. She accepted them now and she seemed to be doing better, she was less shaky, less jumpy than they'd seen her be when she'd first had her horrible nightmares and not had a clue what they were.

But she'd interrupted them a bit to explain what Lucan had told her. She felt bad for sharing the story he'd told her in confidence with the other three, but if there were any in the castle that would keep quiet about it and help her help Lucan, it would be them. And help they had. Gwen had gone to help Lucan personally with his armor after each fight, mending it as good as new for the next one, which he appreciated. Morgana had even, before the tournament began, offered him a handkerchief as a token of good luck to wear as a favor, Merlin hadn't exactly been pleased as he knew that was what women often did with the knights they fancied…until Marayna pointed out that Lucan was old enough to be her father or even grandfather with how much older he appeared to be. Merlin himself had even helped in small ways, but more flittering around the other knights and…not sabotaging them…but if their sword wasn't exactly THEIR sword or their helmet wasn't slightly smaller than it should have been or slightly bigger…well…how would that affect their fighting if they were a true knight?

They didn't think of it as cheating, to help the man in little ways. As far as they were concerned he was the most, and only one, deserving of the title knight and to be the victor of the tournament. The other knights, from what they'd observed, did not embody what it meant to be one the way Lucan had come to. Yes, the man had been a right arse years ago, but right now…now he was truly a knight worthy of the title. And for that, they would do anything they could to help him.

Which was why she and Merlin were standing around the corner, watching as Lucan faced off with another knight, the last knight. It was the deciding joust, the next person to be unhorsed would be the victor. And they were NOT about to let Lucan down.

"Ready?" Merlin looked at his sister, holding out his hand.

She nodded, "Ready," she breathed, taking it as they focused on the tournament.

They had to be very careful with the magic they used, the magic they'd BEEN using the last half of the joust to help, making a glare a bit blinding, making a strap a bit loose, breaking a lance before it could really hit Lucan…very small but very very carefully done. They had to make the tournament look real, because it was all about honor, and if Lucan was caught to be cheating…he'd lose. And they did NOT want that, especially not after they'd learned that Lucan had been trying to help anyone with magic in his village to be safe.

They couldn't even risk incantations this time, with so many people around them, they were not going to risk anyone hearing them. With all eyes on the joust though, their eyes could flash gold and no one would know. And so they focused, and watched, and waited…till the jousters ran at each other on their horses, and squeezed their hands, their eyes flashing gold as the opponent's lance broke only a split second before it struck Lucan, Lucan's hitting the other knight dead on, unhorsing him!

The crowd, though a bit disappointed that Lucan had won, erupted into cheers that the tournament had been completed and that there was a victor. Lucan made his way off is horse and came to stand in the front of the small raised seats where Uther, Arthur, and Morgana were sitting as the king stood.

"Sir Lucan," he began, looking down at the man tensely, clearly not at all pleased that he had to bestow this tournament's victory to that particular man, "You are our victor for this tournament. As such, you have earned the reward of 5…"

"I don't want your coin," Lucan spoke up, the crowd falling silent as he not only cut the king off, but refused his prize as well, "I don't want your prizes. I don't want anything from you Uther…except the one thing you can never give me back."

Uther's jaw tensed at that, his eyes narrowing as he looked down at the man, his hand curling into a fist at the thought that Lucan would reveal his past actions.

"All I want," Lucan continued, "Is for you to realize…the past comes back to haunt us all."

And with that, he turned and strode out of the arena, confusing the crowd to an enormous degree as they all started whispering, wondering what the man meant, whereas the king himself stood there rigidly, having gone one or two shades paler, before he glared and slammed his fist against the ledge of the arena's wall and stormed off.

Morgana though, smirked at that, standing regally and walking off with Gwen, Merlin moving to help Gaius tend to those knights that were still injured. Marayna though, snuck out of the arena, looking around, only to see Lucan mounting a horse and trotting off, all of his belongings already packed on the horse. He'd planned to leave immediately after the tournament if he won. No one could ever guess what Uther would do or how he would interpret anything that could possibly be a threat against him, and he hadn't wanted to risk being there for Uther to attack.

She sighed as she watched him go, it was rather anticlimactic, the 'showdown' between Lucan and Uther, but those words, that one sentence…that would be enough to truly get to Uther, to truly worry him and, as Lucan intended, act as a promise of things to come. She could only hope that Uther wouldn't completely fly off the handle and go mad with paranoia because of it.

"I wonder what he meant," a voice said beside her as Arthur joined her, the two of them watching Lucan ride off.

"I dunno," she shrugged innocently, "Sounded like a promise to me."

He rolled his eyes, "What, that he'd come back and kill my father?" he scoffed, "Sir Lucan fails to realize he did break the law of Camelot."

Marayna's jaw clenched at that, "He did mention something like that to me."

"Oh?" he looked at her, "He mentioned that his wife and daughter were practicing magic? And when my father had to execute them for breaking the law they were well aware they were breaking, Lucan swore revenge?"

She let out a disbelieving laugh at that, "Arthur…I can understand your acceptance over Lucan's wife having been executed, but…do you have any idea at all how old his daughter was?"

Arthur blinked and shrugged, "15?" it was the age his father had remarked when they'd first seen Lucan arrive with the rest of the knights. He'd seen his father's expression, heard his cries of disbelief the man would dare show his face there again. He'd explained that Lucan's wife and daughter had practiced magic and had, of course, been executed for it as was the law of Camelot.

Given it was so long ago, he'd assumed that it had been nearly the end of the Great Purge or in the middle of it and he knew, as his father and tutors had often told him, all those executed during the Purge were, in fact, the greatest enemies of Camelot, which could only mean they had well and truly been practicing darker magics and using their magic for evil.

"No," she shook her head, "That's how long it's been since they were executed," she looked at him, her expression falling to such a sorrowful one that Arthur was almost starting to get worried for the answer, "Arthur…she was three years old."

"What?!" he scoffed, "No, my father would never…"

"You know he has," she cut in, "You've learned about the Purge, you know he had men, women, and children executed during it."

"She must have been…" Arthur tried to say, tried to think of some reason to justify the execution of one so young.

"What?" Marayna shook her head, "What could a three year old possibly do that is so evil that they deserved to be burned on the pyre?"

"Burned?" he whispered, completely shocked by that, the pyre…it was only ever used to serve as an example. Like with Gwen, it would have been to prove that magic was so sneaky it could get to the servants of those close to the king…and would be dealt with. But a child? A little girl? What example could she have possibly set? Surely there had to have been other children involved that had been executed in a quicker way…why burn a three year old girl?

"She had the misfortune of being the daughter of one of Uther's closest…friends."

Arthur closed his eyes, working out now exactly what the example had been, no one was safe, no one would be excused, no one would be forgiven, no matter their relation to the king. Everyone was equal in the eyes of the law.

"You're lucky though," Marayna continued, "That Lucan is as honorable as he is," Arthur looked at her, "You've seen others attacking, grieving parents who had lost their children to executions. Lucan is one, but instead of letting his hate for your father poison him…he let his love for his daughter's memory better him," she shook her head and looked out where Lucan was disappearing into the distance.

Camelot would NOT be so luck as that with others.

A/N: ...I _just_ realized that Matthew in the last chapter...is Anderson from Sherlock lol :)

But again, I want to apologize. I have NO idea what's going on with FF, but it wouldn't let me log on again :( I even had it where I had my manage stories page open and got it right to where I just add a chapter and, when I went to add a chapter in the morning...it said I had to log on, and then when I go to log on, it says error :'( I really hope they sort this out because it's gotten a little ridiculous and I've emailed them about it each time it happens -sigh- :(

But I hope you liked the chapter :) Not much in way of fluff, but I really sort of wanted to just have a normal chapter where we sort of get to see the perspective of someone who had lost someone to Uther but maintained enough sense and perspective to not go completely insane and attack Camelot :) Plenty of fluff in the next chapter though ;)

Some notes on reviews...

Lol, I've actually got a list of AUs that I'm planning to write for all 3 TLs on my 'Upcoming Stories' page of my tumblr, that's one of them, if 11 still remembered Angel when he regenerated, so it would be a rewrite of Series 5&6 (maybe more, depending on what might change). So it's definitely going to be a future story, an AU of the HOTS where he doens't forget Angel ;) But it may not be up for quite a while :( But it WILL be written ;)


	19. The Labyrinth of Gedref

The Labyrinth of Gedref

Merlin and Marayna huffed quietly to themselves as they followed Arthur and his hunting party into the woods, the men armed with crossbows, the servants forced to carry the animals that had already been struck down. Arthur paused, hearing something, and turned to send two of his knights another way to scout it out, "Merlin!" he hissed, "Mara!"

Marayna huffed, "What is it now?!" she nearly whined.

They'd been at it ALL day. And Arthur _knew_ how much they hated going out on hunts, neither being a big meat-eater having grown up on a farm. They'd been trekking through the woods, he'd made her wear the blasted dress, just because she was going to be around the other knights and 'it wouldn't be proper to wear a tunic and leggings' which only meant that her dress got more and more soiled and was even more that she'd have to clean later. It kept getting snagged on branches and, while she was thrilled that the noise of the branches breaking and her shaking them to get her skirts free alerted the other animals that they were near so they could escape...it was irritating to get stuck every ten feet.

"I don't know," he smirked, "We'll surround it. Merlin, I want you to go in there and flush it out..."

Merlin gave him an incredulous look, "You want _me_ to go in there? You just said you don't know what it is. It could be dangerous!"

Arthur smirked, "Now you know why I'm sending Mara too."

Marayna rolled her eyes, "Nice to know you care Artie."

His eyes narrowed a bit at that, "Just go. "

Merlin sniggered at that, Marayna was the only one he knew who could get away with calling the Crown Prince Artie...much like he was the only one Morgana allowed to call her Gana, not even _Gwen_ was allowed to.

"Come on," he reached out and took his sister's hand, the two of them moving off to sneak through the woods, following the soft crunch of footsteps on the ground ahead of them. They crept over to a bush, pushing aside the large leaves, their eyes widening at the sight beyond, a unicorn standing right in the middle of a small clearing in the woods.

"Oh that's beautiful," Marayna breathed, now pulling him on, out of the spot and towards the unicorn. She paused, eyeing it, noticing a small notch in the horn, '_That's the one that helped me bring Arthur back,_' she told her brother.

'_Really?_' he looked at it, before gently reaching out a hand to touch it, "Thank you then," he said to the unicorn, stroking it as it nuzzled its hand into Marayna's palm, snorting. His smile faded though when he heard the hunters approaching, "Go," he hissed to the unicorn, urgent, "Go! Please, go."

It whinnied.

"Shh," Marayna put a finger to her lips, "Please...they'll kill you."

"Please, go!"

Marayna gasped, spotting Arthur out of the corner of her eye, his crossbow ready, "Arthur, no!"

But it was too late.

Arthur fired, striking the unicorn in the heart, felling it with just one go. Merlin and Marayna watched in horror as it hit the ground, before they too fell to their knees beside it, stroking its head and side, just...trying to do anything and everything they could short of magic to help comfort it as it died. They could feel their throats closing from emotion, being so near...they could hear the horse's pained noises as its life left it. It wasn't an instant kill...the horse was suffering, even if not long, it still WAS.

"We're sorry," Marayna breathed, tears in her eyes.

"So sorry," Merlin agreed.

Arthur just leapt into the clearing, the men cheering behind him, "Ha ha! A unicorn!"

"What have you _done_?" Merlin shook his head sadly.

"Don't be such a girl, Merlin," Arthur rolled his eyes.

"You are such bloody cold-hearted bastard!" Marayna pushed herself to her feet and literally shoved his shoulder as she stormed past him with both hands, making him stumble but hold up his hands to stop the other knights as they took a step towards her to try and stop her from another 'attack' against the prince. She didn't know where this anger was coming from but...that horse had helped her save Arthur and he'd just _killed_ it. Something so innocent, so pure...dead, stained with blood, because Arthur just wanted to kill any animal he came across, gentle or beast.

It made her _sick_.

Arthur though, frowned, her words striking him, he'd never seen her _that_ angry before, not even when he'd fired Merlin the first few days she'd arrived. He cleared his throat as his knights shifted, watching Marayna disappeared through the foliage, "Prepare the beast," he ordered the knights, "Keep the horn as a trophy for my father," before he noticed Merlin staring...but not at the direction his sister had gone, in the opposite direction entirely, "What are you looking at?"

Merlin just looked at the cloaked, aged man standing behind Arthur, who disappeared as soon as Arthur turned around.

~8~

Marayna was glowering as Arthur proudly strode through the Main Hall, Merlin forced to carry the horn that had been brutally chopped off the unicorn and placed on a pillow, Marayna outright refusing to even touch the pillow and saddled with the rest of the hunt.

"Father!" Arthur beamed, "A unicorn's horn to grace the walls of Camelot," he gestured Merlin to step up with the horn.

"Magnificent," Uther smirked, standing from his throne, "It's the first one I've seen," he reached out and took it, "Gaius, look at this."

Gaius, who had tensed at the mention of the slain unicorn, looked at it with a grim face, but...knowing Uther expected celebrations...said, "It is very impressive, My Lord."

Uther eyed him, sensing the man's discomfort, "What is it, Gaius? Speak your mind."

Gaius sighed, "Unicorns are rare and mystical creatures. There is a legend that says that bad fortune will come to anyone who slays one."

Marayna stiffened as did Morgana at that news, both of them knowing that this was NOT just a legend, but that it really was a curse of sorts. Well, that explained her reaction to the unicorn's death, her reaction going beyond just seeing the beautiful creature fall. Merlin had always joked she was more intuitive with her magic, more sensitive to the magic being used around her. She'd probably sensed the danger lurking behind the action and just...it was happening again wasn't it?

THAT was what bothered her the most. She and Merlin had such hope for Arthur, that he'd be a better man than his father. They knew that Arthur had likely seen a horse before he saw it as a unicorn, and he'd just been hunting it...but the fact was...danger was going to befall Camelot and it was because of Arthur's actions. How different was it that he would make a decision and it would cause ruin for the kingdom? It was just like Uther and his decision against magic. These Pendragon men...they needed to think before they just reacted! She knew that there was likely no way that Arthur would think anything bad would happen from the slaying of the horse but...it was a magical being and he didn't even seem repentant...he didn't seem sorry, he didn't regret what he'd done and it had to be assumed that something bad would come from killing it. She couldn't imagine that seeing a horse as pure white as the unicorn had been that Arthur wouldn't, in some part of his mind, realize it wasn't a normal horse.

"Nonsense," Uther laughed, looking at the horn once more, "We will be the envy of every kingdom."

Arthur just nodded, smiling, proud, "I'm pleased you like it."

~8~

Merlin sighed as he and Marayna walked through he square with Gaius, "I don't understand how Arthur can have taken any pleasure from killing the unicorn," he muttered.

"Arthur is a hunter," Gaius shrugged, "It's in his blood," before casting a teasing glance at Marayna, "I'm sure you've noticed it in the way he looks at you dear?"

Marayna blushed, not having expected such a remark from her uncle, as Gaius chuckled, oh to be young and in love.

But Marayna had to consider his words, she HAD noticed an almost 'predatory' quality in how Arthur would observe her and the people (men) around her at times, particularly when she was wearing light blue. His gaze always targeted her across a room, zeroing in on her, always darkened when other men came near her, and the way he moved sometimes, to her side, using his full height...he seemed to almost be at a cross between hunting her himself and protecting her from others. It was a strange notion but...one she was starting to find almost...endearing. In a brutish hunter way of course.

"I still think he's an idiot for what he did," Marayna muttered, thinking of the unicorn.

"That's because you and your brother," Gaius pulled her arm through his, "Are something entirely different."

"It was just so...beautiful, uncle, so pure," she sighed, looking at him, "You'd have loved to see it."

"It's a rare privilege. Alas, there are few unicorns still alive."

"You try telling that to Arthur," Merlin grumbled.

"I can imagine it would be difficult."

"Unless you beat it into him," Marayna shrugged, nonchalant. They looked at her, "What?! You can't tell me he doesn't deserve a good wallop from time to time!"

They laughed at that, shaking their heads. She truly would make a rather remarkable wife one day, one who would stand up to her husband and make sure he saw the error of his ways even by force. And as a Queen...well, they both doubted there would be a king or dignitary from any kingdom that would dare challenge her in all her furious might. Merlin snorted at that, her furious might, that would be something even HE would be scared of if she ever turned it on him.

Luckily, she loved him too much to ever be that cross with him, he was her older and favorite brother.

'_You're my ONLY brother,_' he heard her remark in his mind.

'_And therefore, your favorite,_' he joked, draping an arm around her shoulders as they walked on.

~8~

Marayna stood at the window to Arthur's rooms, staring out of it as Merlin made a secret rendezvous with Morgana in the courtyard, the woman wanting to know about the unicorn...and probably rant about Arthur killing it...for which Merlin would be needed to calm her before she could kill the prince herself. She couldn't understand it, though, why her gaze kept getting pulled to the fields on the edge of the castle, it was like...something was stirring, something was coming, and it wouldn't be good.

"My horse threw a shoe," Arthur was saying as he sat at his desk, Marayna hearing him but not responding, "Take it to the blacksmith. Make sure he does a good job. And when you've done that, you can polish my s..." he looked over to see her staring, "...saddle," he frowned and sighed, getting up, "Mara? Have you listened to a word I've said?"

"Do I ever not?"

He laughed, "Yes. All the time."

"Then don't ask questions you already know the answer to."

He sighed, "You've got a face like a wounded bear ever since we got back from that hunting trip. Don't tell me you're still upset about the unicorn."

"As much as you're not upset about Rosaline."

Arthur fell silent at that. Rosaline, Sir Lucan's daughter. He'd...done some investigation of his own, when Marayna had brought up the girl, her...age. He hadn't wanted to believe her, naturally, even though he knew and was well aware that she and Merlin had rarely ever lied to him. He'd just had a hard time believing that his father could do that and to his best friend, to a girl that was just...so small. He...DID know that his father had been forced to execute men and women and even children during the Purge, but he hadn't ever thought they were THAT young before. Though, looking back on it, what had he expected his father to do? Wait until a child grew to an older child once they showed signs of magic?

It had been ridiculous to think of but...somewhere in the back of his mind he'd likely not wanted to think of children who had been younger than him at the time being...executed like that. It was one thing to be a five or six year old child and be told that enemies of Camelot were being punished...it was another to learn that a girl three years younger than him was being burned for it. He'd gone to Geoffrey, the only man he could think to ask for records like that without him reporting to his father if he phrased his request in the right way. The records he'd been provided...staggered him.

The sheer number of men and women and children alone had been more than he had ever imagined. At times entire families had been executed merely for having one member that was friends with a sorcerer. He was honestly shocked that Camelot had had any peasants left after her saw the numbers...till he realized at least half were also from the outer villages and even from some neighboring kingdoms that had alliances with them. But still...he'd taken Marayna's words to heart, he'd looked at all the names, all the families and done a small calculation of just...how many still had other family members out there, those that could be potential enemies of Camelot.

He could admit...his father had made a small army's worth of enemies in just those who KNEW a sorcerer let alone the ones that actually were proven to possess magic.

He hadn't been able to look at his father for a week after that, after seeing Rosaline's name there with Lucan listed as her father and her method of execution. He'd kept thinking about the Druid boy as well. He hadn't agreed with his father then either, the boy hadn't harmed anyone, he was just a Druid, he was small and a child and his father, he knew, would have him executed before seeing him returned to his people and it just...unnerved him how blind his father turned when magic was mentioned. He didn't ever want to be that way, especially not when children were involved.

He couldn't count the number of times he'd accidently cut one of his friends when he'd been showing off as a boy, showing them a sword and proclaiming to know how to use it. He couldn't begin to say all the times he'd nudge Morgana or shove her playfully but use too much force and knock her over or hurt her on accident. He was just a CHILD, they had no knowledge of true right and wrong, they didn't know their strength or limits, and they had rubbish control of anything including their own two feet at times. How could a child, even one who had the slightest bit of magic, be targeted and executed for something they couldn't control. If they harmed someone with magic...how was it different from when he'd shove Morgana and hurt her without meaning to? It was different when they were older, when they had control and could make a choice in what they did, consciously hurt someone...but a child?

"That's not fair Mara," he uttered quietly.

She sighed, "I know," she nodded, "I'm sorry."

She knew he WAS upset about Rosaline, he'd come to see her after he'd made the discovery that she'd been speaking the truth...she really did need to speak to him about believing her and Merlin more...but he'd sworn to her that children would be protected, not just Druid boys like Mordred, but...all children, any that possessed magic. If any were found he would do his best to get them out of Camelot and plead with the Druids to take them in, to teach them to control their magic. What they did after that, whether use it for good or evil would be up to them, but at least they'd be punished for a crime they truly intended to commit instead of for something they didn't understand.

It might be dangerous, that plan, it might mean more enemies, more skilled enemies, for Camelot but...he hoped that if HE, the Crown Prince, got them out...perhaps they would feel mercy towards the kingdom. Perhaps it would show them the realm HE hoped to build, where those who deserved a punishment were punished and those who meant no harm were...well, he couldn't say accepted, he WAS still very wary of magic, one didn't go 21 years hearing about its dangers with no consequences but...he could say they wouldn't be killed for passing through. He just hoped that, one day, those he saved would NOT want to kill him or destroy his kingdom.

She turned around, her arms crossed, "I just...I think you shouldn't have killed that unicorn."

"Oh, really? And why is that?"

"It was..." she trailed off, unsure if she should tell him it had helped save him before incase he asked how she'd gotten him up onto its back or anything like that, despite her being 'stronger than she looked' she was NOT that strong as to lift him up onto a horse's back, "It was just...standing there. It wasn't doing anything and YOU attacked it for no reason. What's the point in that? I understand the thrill of a chase, fine, or if it was attacking and you defended yourself...but something that was just grazing? There was no point to do that Arthur."

"We were hunting," he shrugged, "That's what you do. Would you have me bring it home as a pet?"

"And I'M a servant," she countered, "Doesn't mean I'll do EVERYTHING you tell me to does it?"

"You hardly do ANYTHING I tell you to."

"There you go, just because you're hunting doesn't mean you need to kill EVERYTHING that moves!"

He shook his head, not about to get into it with his servant, and pointed at a few small black balls on the floor, "Look at this."

"What?" she huffed, irritated at how he just changed the topic.

"Do you know what that is?"

"Would I have said 'what' if I did?"

"Rat droppings," he remarked, not seeing her stiffen, "My chambers are infested. You need to spend less time worrying about unicorns and more time worrying about rats."

Just then the door burst open and Merlin rushed in, slightly out of breath, though Marayna was certain it had little to do with the run from Morgana's chambers, where she'd seen them heading, to his, "Arthur, the king wants to see you."

Arthur pointed at Marayna, "Find that rat," before heading out.

Merlin looked over at Marayna's pale face, seeing her stiff, her eyes wide and fixed on the floor, ber hack tense, "Rat?"

She nodded and he walked over to her, putting a hand on her shoulder and moving her to sit on the desk as HE got to work looking for it.

~8~

The crops had died, all the wheat in the kingdom just wilted over night which had thrown the realm into chaos by morning, "Any ideas what caused the crops to die?" Merlin looked at Gaius as they watched him perform some tests on the crops Uther had had the knights gather for his research.

"I'm here to complete all the tests," Gaius sighed, already knowing what it was, "No disease I have heard of could spread through the entire kingdom in a single night."

"What could kill all the plants other than a disease?"

"Magic," Marayna answered.

"And it is not killing all the plants. The trees and hedges around the crop fields are unharmed. Unfortunately, you can't eat trees and hedges."

"Well...you COULD," Marayna countered, "But bark and leaves are rather disgusting, and rather hard to digest and..." they looked at her, "I was 3 and curious!" she defended.

"So it's only killing plants we can eat?" Merlin guessed.

"It appears so," Gaius remarked, "Magic is trying to starve the people. Perhaps there is something in the soil and water that can explain it. I can't tell the king it's caused by sorcery until I'm completely certain."

They both looked at each other for that, tell the king magic had something to do with it and there'd be another witch hunt within seconds.

~8~

"Give it back to me!" a man was shouting to another, arguing over the grain rations that were being implemented, while Merlin and Marayna walked past in the village, "It's mine!"

"It's not yours..." another argued.

"Merlin," Gwen gasped, smiling at them when she ran into them on her way to collect some water, "Rayna!" she glanced around before whispering, "Is it true what they're saying about the crops? They're all dead?"

"Afraid so," Merlin sighed, "We may have to start tightening our belts."

Gwen winced, "Morgana's rather cross with Arthur about all this," she set her bucket down by the well, "She thinks that it's because of the unicorn and..." she looked left and right, leaning in to whisper, "Magic."

"Oh she's not the only one," Marayna remarked.

"I'm sure you'll both think of something," she winked at them before turning to pump the water...only for sand to pour out, "Oh no!"

~8~

Merlin and Marayna sat in Gaius's chambers, a bucket of sand between them, their hands on the table, flat, but touching one another's as they both tried to turn the sand to water, the magic book open beside them, "_Gréot gecymen, lecan_," Merlin began, his eyes flashing.

"_Gecymen gé drýe wæter_," Marayna tried, her eyes flashing as well when Gaius entered and stared at them.

"We were..." Merlin floundered, caught, "We were just, er..."

Gaius nodded and walked over to them, "I was hoping you might be trying to turn it back into water. I know I've cautioned against using magic, but if ever there was a time to use your talents, it's now."

"Wish we knew how though," Marayna huffed, though she was secretly pleased Gaius seemed to be leaning more towards allowing them to use more magic now, "We've read through a dozen spells already and nothing's worked. Whatever this is...it's magic more powerful than us."

~8~

Getting Marayna to come with him to try and find that cloaked man he'd seen was easier than Merlin thought it would be...but then again, she'd take _any_ excuse not to have to look for the rat again. Unfortunately, they'd just reached one of the exits from the castle when they saw Arthur addressing the guards by the drawbridge nearby, "Patrol the market and the lower town. No one is to leave their homes. Dismissed. Merlin!" he called, seeing them trying to backtrack, "You do realize there's a curfew Mara?"

"Yeah..." Merlin started, "We were in your chambers, hunting for the rat."

"Did you find it?"

"No!" Marayna nearly shouted, before quieting, clearing her throat, "No, we didn't."

Arthur blinked and stared at them, "So you have been outwitted by a rat?"

"They do say rats are very intelligent," Merlin defended.

"More intelligent than you, it would seem."

"_You're_ the one who didn't notice a mouse living in your rooms till you saw the droppings," Marayna pointed out.

He rolled his eyes, "Go home. It'd be embarrassing to have to lock up my own servants for breaking the curfew," he turned, about to start his own patrol...when he spotted a man in a white cloak, the same one Merlin had seen in the woods, walk into the castle, "What was that?"

"What?" Marayna turned around, spotting the man disappearing inside just as Merlin and Arthur took off after him, running towards the castle, Arthur jumping over the courtyard corridor ledge to catch up as they chased the man down sets of stairs and right into the burial vaults.

Arthur looked at his servants, making gestures to them with his hands. Merlin nodded and Arthur left...the two following him.

"That means you go the other way and cut him off!" he hissed to them, glaring.

They just held their hands up in surrender, "Ok," they said, turning to head off in one direction. They wandered a moment or two, ending up back at the staircase but no one was there...when Arthur appeared.

"Where is he?" he demanded.

"We didn't see anyone," Merlin shook his head.

"He was right here! Don't tell me you let him get past you!"

"Arthur, no one passed us," Marayna promised.

"Are you blind?!"

"Are you deaf?" she shot back at him, glaring at how he was shouting at them, "NO ONE passed us!"

"Are you looking for me?" a voice called behind Arthur, they turned to see the man in the white cloak, long-bearded, "I am Anhora, Keeper of the Unicorns."

"Camelot is under curfew," Arthur stepped up, "What's your business here?"

"I have come to deliver a message."

Merlin and Marayna glanced at each other, able to feel the magic rolling off the man.

"And who is this message for?"

"It is for you, Arthur Pendragon."

"Is it _you_ who's responsible for killing our crops, turning our water into sand?"

"You alone are responsible for the misfortune that has befallen Camelot."

"Me?!" Arthur scoffed, angry, "You think I'd bring drought and famine upon my own people?"

Marayna shook her head behind Arthur, honestly, did _no one_ listen to Gaius when he said a curse would fall upon them for slaying a unicorn? Probably not, if Arthur HAD...he'd recall that HE was the one who had slain said unicorn in the first place! Therefore...famine and drought.

"When you killed the unicorn, you unleashed a curse. For this, Camelot will suffer greatly."

"If you have put a curse on Camelot, you will lift it, or you will pay with your life," Arthur aimed his sword at the man, now convinced that he had to be one of the 'evil' sorcerers, to place such a curse on Camelot. He could NOT hold anything but foul intent against the kingdom.

"The curse was not my doing," Anhora didn't even blink at the sword to his chest.

"Undo the curse or face execution!"

"Only _you_ can do that. You will be tested."

"You're under arrest," Arthur stepped to him, but the man disappeared.

"Until you have proven yourself," Anhora called, reappearing at the top of the stairs, "And made amends for killing the unicorn, the curse will not be lifted. If you fail any of these tests, Camelot will be damned for all eternity."

A swirl of wind picked up around the man and he disappeared.

"Sorcery," Arthur glared at the empty spot.

"Arthur?" Marayna called, "Are you just a complete idiot or is there some mental affliction YOU haven't told US about?"

"What?" he demanded rounding on her, glaring, in no mood for anything like that with his people's lives in danger.

"You just threatened to run a man, who MIGHT have had the power to reverse this curse, through...how in the WORLD would _threats_ help? WHY would he even consider helping you after that?" she shook her head, "The laws are so flawed that, IF a sorcerer walked by, able to help, able to _end_ the curse, well then, fine, he uses magic, ends the curse...and then is KILLED for using MAGIC after having just SAVED your entire kingdom! No one in their right mind," she put her hands to her head and threw them out in her frustration, "Would EVER help Camelot because of that. And you," she pointed at his sword, "You brought this on us all just like now, your actions, your pride, and your rashness. Next time, stop and THINK about what you're doing and saying and who you are threatening first!"

And with that, she stormed off, leaving Arthur gaping.

"How does she do that Merlin?" he looked over at the man, shaking his head, "You're her brother, you would know..."

"I really don't," Merlin sighed, "I think it's a woman thing," Morgana had the same way of leaving him speechless...though in a different way than Marayna did Arthur, his sister liked to shout about things...Morgana was much more, erm, subtle and delicate about things, "She has a point though," he remarked, "If he wasn't the one who brought the curse on Camelot and you want him to end the curse, he _has_ to use magic. He uses magic, he's killed anyway. Won't matter that he saved everyone's life, not to Uther."

~8~

"And you believe what this Anhora said about the curse to be true?" Gaius asked as he listened to his wards explain what had happened.

"Well, you said there's a legend that misfortune comes to anyone who slays a unicorn," Merlin shrugged as he took a sip of tea, "It makes sense."

"Not much for breakfast, I'm afraid," Gaius placed two plates before them, "We're down to our last few scraps of food."

"Um...uncle..." Marayna hesitated sipping her tea, sniffing it as she sat on top of the table, her feet on the bench, "This tea...how'd you make it if all the water's turned to sand?"

"Fortunately, for us, Merlin forgot to empty his bath yesterday."

"Oh eww," she grimaced, pushing the cup away.

"You're making tea from my bath water?" Merlin gaped.

"It's not so bad," Gaius smirked, "Perhaps a little... soapy," he sighed and grew serious, "What does Arthur think about the curse?"

Marayna scoffed and rolled her eyes, "Prince Prat refuses to think he could be at fault. He'd much rather blame Anhora for all of it."

"Despite Aya giving it to him last night," Merlin chuckled, it always amused him to see her shout at Arthur and call him out when HE was being an idiot.

"If you do not wish to drink bath water, you better make sure Arthur sees sense," Gaius reminded them.

~8~

Arthur entered his chambers later that day...only to stop short at the sight before him. Merlin was on his knees, his head stuck under the bed, while Marayna sat cross-legged on his desk, "Do I want to know?" he asked them, shutting the door behind him.

"The rat ate through a boot," Marayna remarked, holding up the boot she was trying to mend.

"I guess the rat must be as hungry as the rest of us," Merlin called, his voice muffled.

"You think this is funny?" Arthur crossed his arms.

"Moderately," Marayna nodded.

"Fine that rat," he shook his head, "Mara get off the desk and help him."

"No!" Marayna called, before quieting, "I mean...boot?" she held it up.

Arthur frowned.

Merlin pulled his head out from under the bed and rested his arm on the side of it, "Aya's afraid of mice, remember?"

"It's not even the size of a fist..." Arthur began.

"And yet it can still spook a horse," she muttered, returning her attention to the boot.

Arthur blinked, his eyes widening as he remembered just WHY she was afraid of mice and rats. It had been the cause of her accident as a child...she still liked horses, not blaming them, anything would have been spooked, but she WAS afraid of the mouse that caused it. He smiled softly and walked over to her, grabbing her quickly around the waist and leg, scooping her up into his arms, holding her bridal style, "Never fear fair maiden," he smiled as she squealed in shock and delight when he spun her around, "I'll protect you from the mouse."

"Oh put me down you dunce," she laughed, whacking his arm till he set her on her feet, though it was a very sweet gesture. She'd um...never been swept up like that often, ever really...leave it to Arthur to do it.

"Have you given any more thought to what Anhora said last night?" Merlin glanced over as he got up and continued to look for the rat, pretending he hadn't seen anything as Arthur stiffened, seeming to just remember HE was still there in the room with them, while Marayna moved to sit on a stool to work on the boot.

"Ah," Arthur turned back to him, "Well, he may have escaped last night, but at least we now know who we're looking for. I told my father I'll find this Anhora and put an end to it."

"Arthur," Marayna began gently, knowing how Arthur's temper could get, "Please tell me you at least considered the possibility that he was telling the truth about the curse."

He looked at her, startled, "You think _I'm_ responsible for bringing suffering upon my own people?"

"Yes, I'd say that."

"Not intentionally though," Merlin added, shaking his head at his sister's bluntness, "When you killed the unicorn, I saw Anhora in the forest."

Arthur rounded on him, "Why didn't you say anything?!"

"It was just for a second, and then he disappeared. I didn't even...well, I...I thought I was seeing things. But he was definitely there."

"That doesn't actually prove anything."

"Really?" Marayna gave him a look, she was starting to think it was genetic that the Pendragon men were just thick skulled. Thankfully she'd never have to worry about her own child being the same way, Arthur certainly would, but since she knew the chances of her being Queen, despite what the Dragon said, were slim...that solved that problem, "And you don't think that might mean he was telling the truth?"

"Because he was skulking about in the forest? That makes me trust him even less."

Merlin shook his head, "Why would Anhora appear in Camelot, and then lie to you?"

"We had him cornered. He was trying to talk his way out of it by blaming me."

"Arthur, he can disappear into thin air," Marayna reminded him, "He didn't have to talk his way out of anything."

"My father has warned me about sorcerers like him," he looked at her meaningfully, meaning the sorcerers he believed were using their magic for evil, "They will not rest until our kingdom is destroyed."

Marayna blinked, "And if he truly wanted that...he could have killed us all right then and there. Why waste the opportunity? What better way to destroy a kingdom than by killing the only heir to it?"

"We believe he's telling the truth," Merlin cut in before Arthur could respond.

"Then you're fools," Arthur's eyes narrowed, "You cannot trust a single word a sorcerer like that says. You'd do well to remember that. Now, I think I've figured out what Anhora's next move is going to be, and when he makes it, we're going to be waiting."

Marayna just stared at him a moment, before letting out a frustrated breath and running a hand through her hair...this was going to be a LONG night.

~8~

Merlin was leaning against a pillar near the grain store, his eyes closed, smacking his lips as Marayna, who was sitting with her back against the pillar yawned. Arthur poked her with a broom, "Don't you worry about keeping watch, Mara. You just make yourself comfortable," he twitched as Merlin smacked his lips again, "Stop smacking your lips. It's annoying."

"Stop being a prat," Marayna countered, "It's irritating. We don't always get what we want, princes and peasants alike," she added, before whacking his leg, "And leave him alone, he's just thirsty."

"We're _all_ thirsty," Arthur rolled his eyes.

"Um...Arthur..." Merlin cut in, pointing at something past his shoulder.

Arthur looked over to see someone coming and pulled his sword, turning into the grain store with his servants behind him, sneaking up on the man, "You go over there and come in," he mouthed to them as they nodded and moved to the side, leaving him to turn back to the man, "Show yourself, before I run you through! Who are you?" he demanded a man with a small shovel and bag stepped up.

"My name is..." the man stuttered, "My name is..."

"Speak up!"

"My name is Evan, My Lord."

"I see you think you can help yourself to our grain reserves. My father has order that looters be executed."

"Please, My Lord. I...I do not steal for myself. I have three children they have not eaten for two days. They are hungry."

"It's the same for everyone."

"I...I know that it is wrong to steal. I couldn't bear to see them starve."

"And could you bear for your children to see you be executed?" he eyed the man as he shook his head, close to tears, and sighed, putting his sword away, "Then you should go home. If you're caught stealing again, I will not spare you."

"Yes, My Lord. Thank you!" Evan smiled, setting down his shovel and sack, rushing to leave.

"Wait," Arthur called, picking up the sack of grain and giving it to the man, "Use it sparingly. It might be the last food you and your family get for some time."

Evan looked at the prince in awe, "You have shown yourself to be merciful and kind, My Lord. This will bring its own reward."

Arthur waved him off, the man dashing out, before turning to his servants to see them smiling at him proudly, "What?"

"Nothing," Merlin said quickly.

"Well done sire," Marayna smiled, making Arthur smile as well.

He loved it when she called him sire.

~8~

The kingdom was rejoicing, the water had returned, the sand was gone and water was back! The crops were still mysteriously dying out but the water was back and that was enough to give scores of people hope that whatever was happening might end.

"Never knew water could taste so good," Arthur remarked as he shared quite a few rounds with Marayna and Merlin in his chambers, all of them delighting in the water they were drinking.

"My throat was so dry, I thought I wouldn't be able to talk!" Merlin laughed.

"And don't you dare say that's an improvement," Marayna pointed at Arthur warningly from where se was sitting on the desk, not daring to put her feet near the floor with the mouse still on the loose. It had taken Merlin promising he'd use his magic if necessary just to get her into the room...that and he'd had to carry her to the desk first.

"More?" Merlin held up the jug.

Arthur motioned his mug forward and Merlin filled it, "The sand's disappeared. The water returned to the well. It doesn't make any sense," and then he noticed a look pass between Merlin and Marayna, "I suppose you have some explanation for this, then? Let's hear it."

"Anhora said you would be tested," Merlin shrugged, "And last night, in the grain store, you let that villager go. And he said it would bring its own reward."

"He was merely grateful, and so he should have been."

"Or maybe that was your first test," Marayna supplied, "You passed it, so the curse has begun to lift. Perhaps _this_ is your reward."

"We know you don't have to listen to us..." Merlin began.

"Glad we agree on something."

"BUT," Marayna cut in, "If you need to be careful Arthur, you'll be tested again, you'll have the chance to help the people..."

"So we were thinking...maybe we should seek Anhora out," Merlin added.

"I cannot negotiate with sorcerers," Arthur shook his head, "My father wouldn't hear of it."

Marayna smirked, "Then you probably shouldn't tell him, should you?"

Arthur shook his head, standing up, "I must go check on the guard. See if you can find me some food."

Marayna rolled her eyes as he left when she screamed, spotting the rat climbing out of Arthur's other boot.

"_Swealt déor_!" Merlin hissed quickly, stopping the rat before he ran to his sister's side and hugged her tightly as she panted, having sworn he'd felt her fear flash through him as though it were his own.

~8~

Unfortunately, food was harder to come by as more villagers from the outlying areas flocked to Camelot for help, scores of people going hungry all over. Merlin and Marayna had helped Gwen sneak some bread out of the kitchens earlier that day for her and Morgana to hand out to the children and elderly, creating a 'magical' distraction for the cooks. Right now though, they were preparing the food for Arthur's dinner, Merlin pouring some meat stew into a bowl for the prince.

"Lost my appetite," Arthur muttered as he stared at the bowl.

"You've got to eat something Arthur," Marayna remarked as she looked out the window.

"I can't. Not while my people are starving," he sighed and looked at his servants, "Do you _really_ believe I'm responsible for the curse?"

"Yes," Marayna said as bluntly as she always did.

Merlin winced, "I'm afraid so."

Arthur sighed, "We're going to the forest, first thing in the morning. Maybe we can pick up Anhora's trail. Whatever it takes."

"We are going to TALK to him yes?" Marayna turned to him, "Not THREATEN him again?"

"Yes, yes," Arthur rolled his eyes.

"Fine, but you have to eat," Merlin egged him on, "You won't be able to help anyone if you're too weak to pass the test."

Arthur took a bite of the stew, frowning, "What kind of meat is this? It has a very strange texture."

"Pork," Marayna called, walking over.

"This isn't pork. It's far too stringy. What is it? It's, erm..." he put the spoon down, realizing what he was eating, "It's rat, isn't it?"

"Yep," Marayna smirked.

"Try not to think about it," Merlin laughed.

"Look at me," Arthur got a dangerous look in his eye, "I'm being rude. Here I am, stuffing my face with this delicious stew when _you're_ hungry too. Come on. Take a seat," he got up and half-forced Merlin into his spot, "Eat."

Merlin hesitated before taking a bite, "It's actually pretty tasty."

Arthur smirked, "Well, I'm glad you like it. Because..." he fetched the pot, "There's plenty more. Mara," he put the pot before her, "Help yourself."

She grimaced, "No thanks," she shook her head, "I'd rather my first taste of meat _not_ be rat."

Arthur blinked and looked at her, "You've never had meat before?"

She shook her head, "We came from a poor village Arthur, meat was scarce at best and the chickens or cows were best used for eggs and milk."

"What did you eat?"

"Potatoes, tomatoes," Marayna shrugged.

"Vegetables," Merlin nodded, "Sometimes cheese and bread..."

"Berries from the forests."

"Mushrooms and..."

Their list was broken by a knock on the door, "Enter," Arthur called as Morgana and Gwen entered, "Morgana?"

"I hate to ask, but I was wondering if you had anything to eat..." she began.

Arthur started to smirk but Merlin jumped up, "No!" he rushed to her, "We have_ rat_," he told her quickly so Arthur couldn't trick her into it.

"Rat?" Morgana blanched.

"My reaction as well,'" Marayna remarked.

"Right well," Morgana nodded, stepping back, "I'll see if the kitchens can spare something," before she headed out.

"Thanks Merlin," Arthur grumbled, hoping he might have been able to get Morgana to eat the stew.

"Sit down and eat your dinner," Marayna called back.

~8~

The brief happiness at the return of the water didn't last long when, the next day, an even worse plague struck. They'd gone to try and find Anhora, ending up separated from Arthur, only to find the man on his knees, his sword beside him, Anhora disappearing moments later. He'd tried to play it off, spin the story to suit himself, how 'Evan' was a bandit, a con, had insulted him and his honor and he'd struck him to defend it.

Marayna had seen right through it, crossed her arms, and said 'So you basically had a tantrum and killed someone?' to which Arthur had gaped at her, especially when she finished off with 'No wonder you failed the test, and of course the people will suffer, he's showing you what will happen to the people without a just king!'

All the tests, being honorable, meant the people were protected. Defending his honor meant he didn't think of the consequences of his actions and what it would mean for his people, that he was more concerned with how HE was viewed instead of deserving the respect he seemed to think he was entitled to. They were_ all_ suffering but...at least NOW Arthur seemed to realize that it really WAS his fault.

All the grain had rotted, every last store of it.

Merlin was watching amusedly as Marayna paced in Gaius's chambers, when she sighed, "I know Arthur's stubborn...and pig-headed...and annoying...and arrogant and..." she blinked, looking at Merlin, "I WAS going somewhere with this."

Merlin smiled, "But he cares about his people?" he remarked, "More than he cares about himself."

She nodded, "He won't forgive himself for making his people suffer."

"You must make sure he doesn't do anything rash," Gaius warned them.

"The mood he's in, we don't know what he's gonna to do," Merlin sighed.

"Ready?" Gaius held up some insects.

"Sure they're not poisonous?" Merlin asked as Marayna grimaced and shook her head, passing.

"Quite certain," he picked on up as Merlin did the same, "They say they taste like chicken. Unless we're to starve, we must hope they're right."

They bit into them, Marayna crinkling her nose at them, especially when Merlin turned a little green, "This tastes nothing like chicken."

"Not that we know what chicken tastes like," Marayna remarked.

~8~

Marayna stood beside Arthur on the battlements of Camelot, watching the people continuing to pile into the square, hoping for food, hoping for help. She'd noticed a solemnity to Arthur the past few hours. She knew he'd been summoned to discuss the situation with his father, she could only assume it hadn't gone well.

"They do not know yet know there is worse to come," Arthur muttered.

"What?" Marayna looked at him.

"My father is going to stop distributing food to the people. They are to be left to starve."

She nodded and reached out, rubbing his arm, "I'm sure you tried to stop him."

He shook his head, "I had a chance to stop the curse as well...and I failed."

Marayna was silent a moment, "I'm not going to say it's not your fault just 'cos you didn't know you were being tested," she began as he turned to look at her, looking a cross between shocked she'd say that and relieved that she wasn't going to lie to him, "Because you DID know. Merlin and I told you,_ repeatedly_. But you didn't_ listen_ Arthur. You NEVER listen."

"Mara..."

"I _know_ that we're servants," she cut in, "But that's just it. We're _servants_. Everyone ignores us, they say things around us they wouldn't normally because they don't even notice us half the time. We hear things. We see things that you can't. So when we TELL you something, please, just ONCE actually LISTEN to us. You don't have to tell anyone who told you, hell you can launch your own investigations but Arthur...we will _never_ lie to you to hurt you. So don't assume that what we say we're saying in spite or ignorance."

He nodded, "I understand."

"Good," she nodded, before turning back to the people, "Now, how are we going to help our people?"

He blinked, "OUR people?"

She looked back at him, "They may be YOUR subjects, but most of them are peasants, makes them MY people as well. Therefore," she gestured between the two of them, "OUR people."

He watched her cross her arms and look back down at them and, in that moment, the way she was standing, so determined, so caring, how she'd called them OUR people...it had made him think, just for a moment, what she'd be like wearing a proper gown, a noble's gown, standing there beside him with a crown on her head, the crown of the queen...

He shook his head, and looked back at the people, finally able to admit, "The people are starving. Camelot is on the verge of collapse. And it is all my doing."

"Yes it is," she added

He winced, but knew he should expect that. Marayna wasn't the sort of woman to sugar coat things, she would tell you exactly what it was like, no matter what or how bad it was, he suspected he needed that from time to time, someone to point out when he TRULY made a mess of things.

~8~

Merlin and Marayna snuck into the woods, Morgana with them, determined since she'd learned of her magic to be more a part of their escapades, regardless of the danger it would pose to her if she were caught not just with servants but consorting with sorcerers.

"Anhora!" Merlin called, "Show yourself! Anhora!"

There was nothing there, just the dark.

Marayna paused, thinking, "Anhora!" she tried, "Emrys and Reesa summon you!"

"My Lord," Anhora called behind them, nodding at them respectfully, "My Ladies, you wanted to talk with me?"

"We've come to seek your help," Marayna began.

"The people are starving," Morgana added, "They will soon be dead."

Anhora nodded sadly, "You must believe me when I say it gives me_ no_ pleasure to see your people suffering."

"If it pains you, why can you not end it?"

"It is not in my power to lift the curse."

"Then give Arthur another chance," Merlin pleaded.

"He has finally accepted it is his responsibility," Marayna told him, "And he _will_ prove himself worthy and lift the curse if you give him just _one_ more chance."

Anhora eyed them a moment, the three most powerful magic users their world would ever see...just at their beginnings. He knew, one day, they wouldn't have needed to come to him about the curse, together they would be able to break it themselves. But they had only just begun to explore their magic and they WERE looking to him for help, there was little he could truly do to deny the three of them such a request, "You have faith in Arthur?"

"We trust him with our lives," Marayna nodded.

"Arthur must go to the Labyrinth of Gedref. There he will face a final test. If he fails, there is no hope. The curse will destroy Camelot," he disappeared.

"Wait!" Merlin called, "What kind of test will he face?"

"That is for Arthur alone to discover," Anhora's voice whispered across their minds.

"Oh my god," Marayna groaned, "He's almost worse than the lizard!"

~8~

"Really?" Marayna crossed her arms as she and Merlin watched Arthur packing for his travels in his chambers, "Are you OUT of your mind?"

"Let us come with you," Merlin agreed with his sister that Arthur's decision to go alone to the labyrinth was insane, "You don't know what form of test will take. We might be able to help."

"You're _not_ coming," Arthur stated, "I brought this curse upon Camelot. I'm gonna be the one to lift it, or die trying."

"Oh yes right," Marayna rolled her eyes, "So it's the Black Knight all over again is it? How does you dying help anyone?"

"I'll die knowing I did everything I can."

"We're coming with you," Merlin said firmly.

Arthur turned to them, "Merlin, Mara, you are to stay here, and help the people as best you can. Is that understood?" he didn't even give them the chance to respond before he stormed out of his rooms.

Merlin and Marayna shared a look, "Does he REALLY expect us to listen to him?" she asked her brother.

Merlin just smirked and took her hand, pulling her out of the room after Arthur.

~8~

They had managed to follow Arthur into the woods without him seeing, right to a labyrinth, rushing in after him...only to lose him rather quickly, managing to stay together as they held hands.

They turned a corner and stopped short, seeing Anhora before them, "You said Arthur would face a test. And here you are, preparing a trap for him."

"The trap isn't for Arthur," Anhora frowned, "It is for _you_. _Gehæftan."_

Merlin and Marayna gasped as vines shot out from the hedges and grabbed them, restraining them and pulling them back...

~8~

Arthur stopped short as he found his way to the middle of the labyrinth...which was somehow now the edge of the sea. But it wasn't the fact that there was a sea in the middle of a magical labyrinth that stopped him dead, it was the fact that Merlin and Marayna were sitting at a table on the shore, Anhora nearby, Merlin on one side, an empty chair across from him, with Marayna between both chairs.

"Mara?" he moved closer, "Merlin?"

"Sorry," Merlin winced.

"Let them go," Arthur glared at Anhora, "I'll take your test, but not till they're released."

"That is not possible," Anhora sighed, "They are _part_ of the test. Please sit. If you refuse the test, you will have failed and Camelot will be destroyed."

Arthur grudgingly moved to take the empty seat, "I thought I told you to stay at home."

Marayna scoffed, "I am not your wife, you don't get to order me around."

"You are my _servants_ though," he countered, trying to ignore the ping in his heart at the mention of her not being his wife, "Let's get on with it."

Anhora nodded and came to stand across from Marayna, "There are two goblets before you," he gestured at one before Arthur and Merlin, "One of the goblets contains a deadly poison, the other goblet, a harmless liquid. All the liquid from both goblets must be drunk, but you must decide which of you will drink and it must be done from a single goblet."

"What kind of ridiculous test is that?" Arthur glared as Merlin and Marayna exchanged a look, "What does that prove?"

"What it proves is for you to decide. If you pass the test, the curse will be lifted."

"Let's think about this," Merlin cut in, "What if...I drink from my goblet first?"

"Then you'll die if it's the poison," Marayna shook her head.

"And if it's not, then Arthur'll have to drink from his, and _he'll_ die."

She frowned, "There's got to be some way around this."

"It is perfectly simple," Arthur remarked, "One of us has to die. We have to find a way to determine which goblet has the poison. And then I'll drink it."

"_I_ will be the one to drink it, thank you," Marayna glared at him.

"This is _my_ doing._ I'm_ drinking it Mara."

"YOU're the future king you prat! You NEED to live. You're more important than me!"

"Not to ME you're not," Arthur said fiercely.

"Um..." Merlin hesitated, "Could you both stop acting like an old married couple?"

"What if...I try Merlin's first," Marayna continued, waving her brother off, "If it's not poisoned, then I drink yours too?"

"He said we're only allowed to drink from a single goblet. I had no idea you were so keen to die for me."

"Neither did I," Merlin eyed her.

"It's not like I'd be missed much," she shrugged, continuing before the boys could argue, "One life for a kingdom? That's a bargain."

Arthur fell silent, looking at them both, at the two who had followed him, despite his orders, just to...be there with him and help him face the challenges set for him, "I'm glad you are here," he admitted with a sigh.

"I've got it!" Merlin cheered, "Right, we pour all the liquid into _one_ goblet and then we can be sure it is poisoned. Then I can drink all the liquid and it will be from a single goblet!"

"You never cease to surprise me. You're a lot smarter than you look."

"Is that actually a compliment?" Marayna smirked.

"Look out!" Arthur cried suddenly, pointing behind Merlin. He and Marayna turned to look, as Arthur took the two goblets, pouring them together and readying to drink it.

"No!" Marayna stood, "I will drink it!'

He looked at her softly, "As if I'd let you."

"You _can't_ die," Marayna shook her head, tears in her eyes, "This isn't your destiny."

"It seems you're wrong again."

"Listen to me!"

"I'm sorry," he smiled sadly, "I've broken the promise already," he reached out and took her hand, "Look after our people," he whispered before drinking it.

"Arthur!"

"No!" Merlin leapt up as well, "What have you done?"

"Arthur!" Marayna ran forward as Arthur fell off his chair, unconscious, "No!"

Merlin knelt at his side as well, trying to shake him awake, his heart breaking for his sister, "Arthur. Arthur. Come on! Arthur, come on. Come on. Come on! No...come on."

"Please," Marayna turned to Anhora, "Please! Just...let me take his place!"

"This was Arthur's test, not yours," Anhora shook his head.

"You've killed him!" Merlin breathed, "I was meant to protect him!"

"He is not dead," Anhora smiled, "He's merely consumed a sleeping draught. He will come round shortly."

They blinked, "What?"

"A unicorn is pure of heart. If you kill one, you must make amends by proving that you also are pure of heart. Arthur was willing to sacrifice his life to save yours," he looked between them, "He has proven what is truly in his heart. The curse will be lifted."

~8~

Marayna and Merlin rode on Bartok, the horse Marayna had selected to help them chase after Arthur in the woods, as Arthur led them back to Camelot, seeing the townsfolk cheering, all happy, "Merlin, Marayna, Arthur, there is good news!" Gaius cheered, heading over as they dismounted, "The crops are growing once again! They are bringing in the harvest!"

They smiled at Arthur, "You did it," Merlin patted him on the back.

"Well done sire," Marayna beamed.

"Is this your doing?" Uther looked at his son, before having to add, "Is the sorcerer dead?"

"He won't be troubling us anymore," Arthur replied instead.

"Good. Make sure the grain reserves are re-stocked."

"I'll see to it. There's something we must do first," Arthur nodded Merlin and Marayna off.

~8~

Arthur turned, taking the unicorn horn and placing it on a burial mound he'd made in the woods, "I should _never_ have ended your life," he murmured to it, resting a hand on top of it in respect, "I'm sorry."

"Arthur?" Marayna called as the boys began to lay stones over the grave, pointing past them.

They turned to look, spotting the unicorn, the notch in its horn, in all its glory, alive once more.

"Brilliant!" Merlin cheered as Marayna threw her arms around Arthur and hugged him tightly, the unicorn whinnying and running off into the forest.

~8~

"_When he who kills a unicorn proves himself to be pure of heart, the unicorn will live again._"

A/N: Poor Marayna and the rat :( But aww, Arthur being the 'hero' for her :) I really wanted someone to point out to Arthur a bit more than Merlin had how his actions had consequences and to also make him aware of how double-edged the laws were, to be willing to use magic to save Camelot and then be executed for using magic...to save Camelot.

I think it was a little of Marayna's own irritations about her and Merlin peeking out there, to be capable of helping so much and not be able to do anything because of the laws :(

Some notes on reviews...

I can say Arthur will learn about magic earlier in than in the show yup ;) But I won't say when, I can promise it'll be before Series 5 though :)

Arthur will still call Gwen Guinevere, but it'll be more of a sort of reversal thing, like...he only gives nicknames to the ones he is truly sweet on/cares for, so Guinevere is him being formal and not close as close to her as in the show :)

I think Arthur will aspire to be a bit like him yup ;) I can say we'll see Lucan again one day :) And thanks! I just felt like Lucan was what every good man/knight should be :)

Arthur will never trust his father when it comes to children and magic, I can say that, he'll be very determined to help the children, so at least one good thing came out of Uther's dark deeds, his son is a better man because of the mistakes his father made :)


	20. Lackluster Efforts

Lackluster Efforts

"Rayna?" Gaius asked as he stepped into his chambers late one night, having just come from helping the king prepare for sleep, his shoulder was hurting him again and he'd needed a salve.

"Uncle!" she gasped, nearly jumping out of her skin, turning to try and hide something behind her back.

"What are you doing?" he eyed her critically but she shrugged innocently and he was forced to give her his dreaded eyebrow, "I saw you up to something."

She sighed and pulled the small objects from behind her. It wasn't much, he had to walk over to her to see it clearly, but it was a small, round stone, no…not stone, metal, like a disc of some sort, with a hole stabbed through the top of it, small wires twisted through to attack it to a strand of brown string. There was a faint etching of some sort on it…

His eyes widened when he realized what it was, "Is this a rune?"

She nodded, "I was…trying to make you an amulet."

He blinked and looked at her, "An amulet? For what?"

"To protect you from enchantments," she shrugged, "It's just…since I've been here, Arthur's been enchanted twice and I just kept thinking…if that ever happened to YOU uncle…we'd be doomed. NO one knows as much about magic and science as you," well, there WAS the Dragon, but Gaius was far more helpful than the overgrown lizard, "If something ever affected you…I just wanted you to be safe so I thought why not try a protective amulet," she handed it to him, "I know protection spells aren't my strongest area, I'd sooner use a spell to send someone flying into a tree than be able to stop an attack, I'm not Merlin but…I did want to try. I thought if I could get the rune right I could have him magic it and…" she sighed, "It was a stupid idea," she reached out to take the metal charm back.

But Gaius held firm to it, "No, it's…a very thoughtful and very wise gift," he smiled at her, "Runes are trick though, Rayna, you must be very careful about the ones you pick and how you set them."

"I know," she turned and picked up a scrap of paper, "I was practicing and trying to work out the best one," she showed him the symbol she was considering, what looked like a capital Y but with a vertical line through the top half of the point as well.

"Algiz," Gaius identified.

"Yes," she nodded, "It means protection and…"

"And it is perfect," Gaius smiled at her, "Though, I don't believe you'll need Merlin's help with it, you Rayna, merely need to try using your magic more. You've better control of it than Merlin does, and so we see more of his magic than yours, but that doesn't mean that you are any less powerful than him, I truly believe that. You have a more focused magic and if YOU place the rune activation spell on this…I am quite certain it will be quite the powerful charm indeed."

Marayna looked at him with a small smile, "You really think so?"

"I do," he nodded, "Come, let me show you how to properly inscribe the rune," he placed the metal down, Marayna watching intently as her uncle actually instructed her in magic.

~8~

The next morning, Marayna woke up with a smile on her face, pleased. She'd been able to finish the amulet last night AND activate it and it was such a relief to know that her uncle would be ok if there was ever an enchantment placed on him. It…wouldn't quite work if it was a very powerful spell, like one that was put over the entire kingdom, but anyone trying to enchant just him would fail. She laughed to herself at that, just…happy she'd managed to do it. They'd tested it a bit, she'd tried to enchant him to tell her the truth and nothing but it…and he hadn't, because she'd asked him to lie, asked him a simple question really, how many siblings he had. And he'd said just 1 when she knew he had 2.

It had been enough proof for them that he'd be safe if ever there was some sort of magical attack on Camelot. He'd be ok and he'd be able to help without fear of being influenced. She couldn't wait to tell Merlin about it. If she'd been able to do that, the she couldn't imagine what Merlin would be capable of, is magic naturally seemed to gravitate towards protective sort of spells like that. And if the two of them tried…well, maybe it would be strong enough to withstand a castle-wide spell! It made her curious what would happen if she, Merlin, AND Morgana tried.

Maybe, one day, they'd be able to put ward stones that she'd read about in the corners of the castle and help protect it from an attack like that. It would be quite a while before they were learned and practiced enough to do that, but it was a possibility now! Oh she couldn't wait to tell her brother. She got up out of bed and grabbed her dress, rushing to get ready before she headed out of the room. Gaius was already up, mixing tonics, and smiled at her as she passed. She knew he couldn't wear her gift outside his physician's robes, but she knew he was wearing it beneath them and that was all she wanted, her uncle safe. She'd wait and see if the amulet would actually hold up against a real enchantment by an enemy before she went about making it for Gwen, and Morgana, and Merlin first though. She would hate to give them something like that and then have it fail.

She grabbed an apple off the table as she passed, heading out. She wasn't quite sure where Merlin was though, she'd woken and he wasn't there though it wasn't the first time he'd overslept in Morgana's chambers. Usually he'd head right to Arthur's and play it off with Gaius later that he'd just woken too early and got a start on his chores and THAT was why the man hadn't seen him. She was starting to suspect that Gaius didn't quite believe that as much as he had at first, but until he said anything, she wouldn't either.

She had just swallowed her apple bite when she reached Arthur's chambers, heading in to see Merlin on his knees, scrubbing the floor. He paused, looking over his shoulder at her, "Finally decided to get your lazy bum out of bed and help me for once?" he asked.

She stopped dead, that…did NOT sound like her brother, no matter how cross he might get with her at times he was never that bitter or snappish with her, "What, did you and Morgana have a fight or something?" she countered, moving to take a brush to help him, but Merlin pulled it back.

"No," he glared at her, "And don't touch the floor. You'll just muck it up like you always do and it'll be twice as much work for me. Arthur wants you to go muck out the stables instead."

She blinked, "How exactly do I much it up and make it twice as hard for YOU?" she crossed her arms, not about to let him get to her.

"Oh I don't know," he rolled his eyes, "Every time you open that trap of yours Arthur ends up insulted and we have to work twice as many chores."

"Yeah, we BOTH do."

"Well doing YOUR chores still allows you to see the person YOU love," he spat, "I hardly get to spend any time with Morgana awake and the time I almost have gets wasted because of you have to go and fire back at Arthur. Would it really kill you to just hold your tongue every once in a while?"

"Probably," she shrugged, though she was eyeing him. The look in his eye…it wasn't anything like she'd ever seen of her brother before and she couldn't help but feel like the man she was seeing wasn't really him. Oh she knew it wasn't an imposter, it wasn't someone mimicking him, no, he spoke the way he always spoke, the same unique inflections and pronunciations, and he had the same mannerisms, it WAS her brother…

But it wasn't HIM talking. She knew that much.

She had just seen him last night, he'd been happy and laughing, he'd hugged her and gone to see Morgana. There was NOTHING that could have happened in the night that would have him acting like this mere hours later…and as much as she hated to cry 'sorcery' like Uther did, there was just…no other excuse she could find that would explain it. It was too sudden, his words too harsh, and it wasn't like her brother to act like this. When Merlin was upset, deeply upset or angry about something, when it was about her, he kept quiet. He bit his tongue because he didn't want to lash out at her in anger, like he was now.

"Don't worry Merlin," she spoke calmly to him, standing, "I'll take care of it," she nodded to herself, heading out of the room to go back to her uncle. There was something that had to be going on here, and she just…she would rather see if there was anything she could do to tell her if Merlin was under a spell before she brought anything up to anyone else, not even Morgana or Gwen, because if it was some sort of spell, and they got involved, she didn't want them hurt by Merlin or to fall under it as well.

"Oh!" she gasped, nearly running right into the two of them around a corner, "Morgana! Gwen! Sorry…I…"

"Be more careful would you?!" Morgana snapped at her, glaring, "You nearly sent Gwen falling back down the stairs!"

Marayna blinked, "I didn't run into you THAT hard," she remarked dryly, and the stairs were about two feet behind Gwen as well, if she were going to fall down them, it would be enough time for her and Morgana to grab her and pull her back from them.

"But you did run into me," Gwen frowned at her, "Marayna you've got to be more careful! You can't just keep running around all over the place with no consideration for any other servant. We all have a job to do and being servant to the prince isn't more important than being servant to another part of the castle. We all have our duties and masters to answer to. You've got to stop acting like you're exempt from those expectations of proper decorum!"

Marayna probably would have laughed at that, at Gwen trying to put her in her place given that the girl was one of the three who had been laughing at her 'chicken impersonation' during the poisoned chalice incident. Gwen had complained to her often enough about the rules of court, especially after Lancelot had left, that they were ridiculous and stuffy and hardly ever changed enough to not be steeped in the dark past.

This was starting to worry her though, because she had seen Gwen get angry in the past and when she snapped at someone, she often backtracked, realizing what she'd done and said and stuttering out apologies…but here she was, just staring at her like SHE should agree with everything she'd said. And if…whatever it was that had happened to Merlin…had gotten to Gwen as well…

She glanced at Morgana, "Anything to add?" she asked her, crossing her arms, might as well hear her out.

"I pity you," Morgana shook her head, looking at her with said pity, "To hold onto the hopes for Arthur when you know full well it can never be? I pity your desperation, your greed, and your obsession with him."

"Me?" she scoffed, "Obsessed with Arthur?"

She really wanted to laugh rather badly at that. She had no idea what was going on, but it was becoming quite obvious it was magic, that these weren't the opinions of the three others, especially not when Morgana had literally been pushing her and Arthur together, FAR more obsessed with seeing the two together than SHE was to be with Arthur. She just didn't know one thing…why someone would enchant Merlin, Morgana, and Gwen to act that way towards her. Honestly, she'd gotten worse insults from friends in East Anglia than they were capable of dishing out. True, those insults had been said in love, with jest and ale behind it, but she'd heard worse, she'd dealt with worse blows than that in the past and there was really nothing that she could think them saying that would affect her so greatly…

If that was even the point of this enchantment. She had no idea why they seemed to be targeting her, but she could guess. Perhaps turn her allies to enemies? Maybe someone was going to accuse her of magic and, without those three backing her up and vouching for her, she'd be executed? But no, that would mean exposing Merlin as well and Morgana, no matter her current thoughts on her, wouldn't let that happen to him.

Try to alienate her? Weaken her? Make her vulnerable? Ha! Whoever it was that had cast the enchantment clearly had no idea what she was like. She had used to care a great deal what people thought of her in the past. She'd based her value on those of her village, her prospects among them. She'd based it on the opinion of the nobility. She'd based it even on the passing remarks of strangers…till she realized how truly pointless it was. None of them were her, none of them knew who she was or what she was like, they hadn't lived her life, they didn't KNOW her…

What right did they have to pass judgment on her?

None.

Once that had been knocked into her head, it was like a breath of fresh air. She just…didn't care what others thought of her. She cared for her brother's opinion and that of close friends, but she had learned enough that the only way to be truly happy was to be truly happy with yourself first. No matter what others thought, it would always be her own opinion that mattered in the end. So Morgana and Gwen, even Merlin, could spew what they wished at her, it would do little.

Especially because she KNEW they were enchanted now. Honestly, Arthur had been enchanted twice already to act like a lovesick fool around another woman. Whoever cast this particular spell…did they really expect no one at all to make a connection? Did they really expect that, common sense wise, she wouldn't think or suspect that the reverse sort of enchantment could be true? If Arthur could be enchanted to love, why not enchant others to hate?

That was one thing she did not understand about these enemies of Camelot, they attacked in full force, they attacked outright, and they attacked suddenly. And sudden change in personality, to her, especially in Camelot, with nothing to explain it…was a clear sign of sorcery and enchantment at work. Did this mysterious caster truly believe that everyone was as thick as Arthur was? That she wouldn't be able to guess from how suddenly the opinion of her had changed over night, that there was magic at work?

"Well your complaints have been duly noted," Marayna remarked, pushing between the two women and heading down the stairs, she had to get to Gaius and she'd rather do that than muck out the stables on her own. Oh she had no problem doing it on a normal day, or offering to do it, but there was something very wrong going on and she wanted to see it solved first.

Her friends and family came first.

Horse poop came second.

She stopped walking at that thought…she probably shouldn't have stayed up last night reading the magic book, she was starting to sound like a two year old in her mind. That tended to happen when she was overly tired, she either ended up a raging terror who would snap and kill all who dared get between her and some place to curl up…or she'd turn into a giggling two year old where even the slightest odd word sent her laughing and made her far too amused.

She sighed and rubbed her head, running a hand through her hair as she continued on. She stepped into the hall that led to Gaius's chambers and let out a sigh, "You've got to be kidding me," she mumbled, seeing Arthur standing outside the doors, having just stepped out of the chambers.

"Marayna!" he called, spotting her.

She stopped, rolling her eyes, able to tell that this was going to be yet another enchantment induced confrontation. Arthur hardly ever called her by her full name when they were alone, it really was quite a mouthful. At first she had liked to think it was just that, that her name was wordy and he couldn't be bothered trying to say the rest of it. It seemed to happen quite a lot with her, most of her nicknames came from mispronunciation and just stuck as a way to irritate her that she just grew used to over time. Rayna was really the only nickname that a majority of people used, and even then it became more like a second name than a nickname it was used so often.

"What?" she crossed her arms, squaring her shoulders, ready to let the battle commence.

It shouldn't be too hard to best Arthur in a verbal showdown though, she'd done it…more times than she could remember and with Arthur's mind addled it should be even easier.

"Have you mucked out my stables yet?" he demanded, crossing his own arms but in a manner far less loose than Marayna's, more serious.

"No, I…"

"I have let you slack off long enough," Arthur cut in, "It is not befitting a servant of Camelot, a servant of the Crown Prince, to shirk their duties as often as you have in the past. And I will not see it happen again. You go the stables NOW and you muck them out. Then help Merlin collect firewood and…"

"For what?" she scoffed, "It's not that cold at night Artie…"

"Don't you DARE address me so informally," his eyes narrowed at her, "You go the stables this instant and muck them out or…"

"Or what?" she challenged, putting her hands on her hips, "What would you do? The stocks? Fire me? Banish me? It really won't make any difference to me at all My Lord, Camelot is NOT my home and you are not my ruler."

"I am your prince," he stated firmly, "And you are my servant. I command you to muck out the stables."

"Alright fine," she nodded, walking past him, "Then I quit. Muck out your own stables."

"You would rather have Merlin do them on his own?" he called.

She stopped, her jaw clenching at that, of course, why would he muck out his own stables? She sighed, she should have known he'd force Merlin to do it and…as much as she did NOT want to give in or back track, if he made Merlin do it there as a chance that he'd be even more cross later with her for it happening. With Merlin and magic and an enchantment, that would NOT be good thing at all.

She spun on her heel and stormed past him, only for him to grab her arm as she passed, holding it a bit too tightly, "I meant what I said Marayna, you are my servant, you do as I command," she just rolled her eyes and tried to pull her arm away, only for him to jerk it back, tighter, "Let's start with respect."

"Yes, let's," she countered, "Earn mine and I'll show you some in return," she pulled her arm out quicker this time, striding away from him and heading for the stables. The sooner she got that over with, the sooner she could get back to Gaius and see what was wrong.

~8~

Marayna was ready to kill someone when she finished mucking out the stables so that Merlin wouldn't have to. It seemed like Arthur had opened his personal tables up to a few of the knights, for reasons unknown to her, though she had a feeling it was just to give her more work. She really had no idea what whatever sorcerer was behind this's plan was. All it was doing was making her irritated and she was rather scary when she was mad, or so Merlin said far too often for her liking. She wasn't THAT scary…was she?

She sighed, glancing over when she saw Merlin walking towards the forest with a small wheelbarrow they used to collect firewood. She hesitated only a moment before heading after him, "Need any help?" she asked when she caught up with him, already by a back pile of wood and filling the cart.

"No."

She rolled her eyes at that, "Come on, it'll be quicker if I help," she moved over to take a few logs off the pile…when he grabbed them from her.

"I said I can do it," he grumbled, throwing the wood into the cart.

"Are you going to be a right misery all day?" she had to ask, her irritation growing even more.

"That depends," he glanced at her, "Are you going to ever leave me alone?"

"Nope."

"Then yes, I'll be miserable," he turned, trying to gather more wood in one go and dropping to logs.

"I've got it," Marayna sighed, moving to pick up those two…

"I said leave me alone!" Merlin snapped, throwing his hand out and sending her flying back. She hit a tree not quite hard enough to bruise, but enough to knock the wind from her and make her sit there for just a moment till she got her breath back.

Merlin just glared at her before loading those fallen pieces and heading back to Camelot, leaving her alone.

"Poor little sorceress," a voice said just as she picked herself up and brushed off her skirt.

She spun around to see a woman that appeared to be her own age, with red hair standing there, smirking at her, her clothes black, her face round and pale, "You're the one responsible for all this, aren't you?" she glared at the woman.

But the woman just laughed, mock-bowing to her, "Lady Gretchen at your service," she rose, her expression turning more sneering, "And how pitiful you are."

"Me?" she scoffed, "I'm not the one who had to resort to cheep tricks. What, did you want to lure me out here or something? Wouldn't it have been easier to enchant ME to just wander out into the woods?"

"It was not my intention to use you," the woman spat, "Nor to control you."

"What then?" Marayna put her hand on her hips just…tired of all of this, "Kill me?"

"Yes."

Well the woman was blunt, she could give her that, "Good luck. I've found I'm surprisingly hard to kill."

"Not to me," the woman glared, "I am in training to be the next High Priestess of the Old Religion!" she declared, "My Mistress will be proud of me when she sees I have finished you off for her."

"Me?" she gave Gretchen a look, already guessing she was something related to Nimueh, the only sorceress at the moment who seemed bent on destroying Camelot, "Why am I so important to her?"

"You are the one with the legitimate claim to the title," Gretchen glared, as though Marayna had slighted her by that, "You who were merely born with the power and have never studied the duty that falls to such a designation."

Marayna blinked at that, she hadn't been aware she had a claim to anything, but ran a hand through her hair, that was yet another thing she had to speak to the Dragon about then, "And you intend to off me so she has the only claim then?"

Gretchen nodded, holding out a hand as a fire appeared in it, ready to throw…

Only for Marayna to blink once more when the fire raged out of Gretchen's control, forcing the woman to drop it, creating a blast of light that had her shielding her eyes from the sight of it, hearing Gretchen screaming in agony before she looked over…to see the woman was gone and only a pile of ash remained.

She looked around, wondering if it was a trap, that couldn't POSSIBLY have been the attack that was meant to end her or something like that. The girl had managed to, from a distance, spell Merlin, Gwen, and Arthur…and yet one fire ball…and she couldn't manage that? Granted she knew nothing about it, it could be near impossible to master or something but…she felt like she was being watched.

She looked over her shoulder and up at the sky, before shaking her head and rushing back to the castle, not wanting to be caught in the woods alone. She ran down the path, nearly falling as she snagged a root and stumbled into the edge of the wall of the palace…right as Arthur was heading past to the courtyards to train the knights.

"Mara!" he called as he caught her, "Are you alright?"

Marayna looked at him intently a moment, "Artie?" she tested.

But he merely rolled his eyes, "I thought we agreed to stop calling me that."

She smiled, letting out a breath at that, to see that he didn't seem to remember how he'd acted. It was much like the other times he'd been enchanted, hadn't a clue what had happened. Luckily she hadn't had much interaction with him or the others so there would be no noticeable gaps in their memories, she was thankful for that. She…didn't plan to tell them what had happened, it had been too brief, too pointless really, and it had been resolved with little fuss.

"YOU agreed," she poked him as she stepped back, "And I never listen to you anyway."

He let out a small laugh at that, "I am oddly enough getting used to that," he admitted, before he sighed, seeing the knights starting to look over, "Um…see to it that my rooms are straightened and have a bath ready for me after training."

She nodded, "Yes sire," she smiled, walking past him, not seeing him watching her in confusion.

What had he done to earn her calling him sire?

~8~

Quite a distance away, Nimueh glared as she watched Marayna walking past the prince, smiling and shaking her head as she nodded and waved at Gwen and Morgana, passing them, heading to Arthur's room where her brother greeted her with a smile and her a hug. That as NOT the plan! Granted she hadn't thought for a moment it would work but…when Gretchen had actually managed to enchant the four others…she'd had hope her apprentice might succeed.

But then she had seen Marayna more irritated than broken by the enchantment the dunce of a girl had placed, had seen Gretchen preparing to kill Marayna instead of capture her as planned, and had HAD to intervene. Her apprentice, she was loath to call her that, was treading too close to disturbing destiny.

She had done more research into this Merlin and Marayna, gone to the Druids in disguise, learned of them…Emrys and Ressa…it was not their fate to die at her hand or Gretchen's…and she'd had to stop the girl.

She was irritated the plans had fallen through, that they hadn't managed to grab Marayna and sway her to their side. A woman like that, the sister of Emrys, the beloved of Arthur, so close to Morgana…she would have been the perfect weapon. But her apprentice had overestimated her own importance and nearly crossed a line that not even SHE was willing to dare.

She had come close to tempting fate, to challenging destiny in the past, but it had to be done carefully, something Gretchen lacked. And even worse, she had revealed to Marayna a secret that she had never wanted the woman to know. SHE had claimed the title of 'High Priestess' when the Purge began, the magical community needing a leader to look to. They had fallen apart regardless of her efforts, gone to hiding like cowards instead of fighting back...but SHE had remained strong, resolute, using her position as a means of power...

And now, because of Gretchen...her position might be in danger of being seized by another.

She could NOT let that happen.

A/N: I am SO sorry this is so late :( I'm really hating the site right now :( I was all logged on to post and then it went right back to the 'error' again :( I thought it was all fixed because I could log on yesterday at the right time :( -sigh- So I want to say sorry again! But I finally go the chapter up :)

I hope you enjoyed it, I wanted to try my hand at a bit of a comical/annoying sort of chapter, where it had potential to be really terribly dangerous and hurtful to Marayna...but just ended up annoying her :)

Some notes on reviews...

I can't say if Morgana will still be evil or not, that'll be as surprise, but I can say we'll find out at the start of Series 3 ;)

They're true feelings will be coming up very soon ;)

Thanks so much! I'm glad you're enjoying the chapters :) I try to get the grammar and spelling as best I can before posting to try and give you all the best version of a story that I can :)


	21. To Kill the King

To Kill the King

Merlin and Marayna were sleeping soundly in their beds one night, one of the rare nights where Merlin stayed in their room, too exhausted by the day's chores to make it to Morgana's chambers…when they suddenly jolted awake, feeling a surge of magic sweep through them, but not their own, no…someone else had used magic in Camelot…

They looked at each other in alarm, that was _never _good…

~8~

Merlin yawned as he and Marayna stepped out of their chambers, Marayna rubbing her eyes as Gaius looked up at them, "Can't sleep?"

"Something woke us," Merlin shook his head.

"What?"

"Don't know," Marayna frowned, "A feeling."

Gaius eyed them closely, "What kind of feeling?"

"Powerful magic."

Merlin nodded, "Here, _in_ Camelot. We weren't sure if…"

But before another word could be spoken, Gwen rushed into the room, frantic.

"Gwen," Marayna gasped, rushing to her side as she fell to her knees, "What's wrong?"

"My father's been arrested!" she cried.

"Arrested?!" Merlin gaped, "What for?"

"They say he was making weapons for a sorcerer! They're charging him with treason!" she started to weep, "Please, please you _have _to help him…"

Marayna and Merlin looked at each other as Gwen sobbed in Marayna's arms, "Where's Arthur?" she asked the girl, "Well get him to help…"

Gwen shook her head, "He and Morgana are with Uther."

Merlin nodded, holding out a hand to his sister, "Come on."

She took it and they ran out of the room, leaving Gaius to try and calm the girl down. They ran through the corridors, empty, it wasn't even dawn yet, and right to the Main Hall…only for the doors to be shoved open, Morgana, in her nightgown, storming out, looking murderous, clearly having argued with Uther on Gwen's behalf.

"Go after her," Marayna nudged Merlin, knowing he'd rather go after Morgana than deal with Arthur, "I'll talk to Arthur, see what happened."

He nodded and ran down the hall after Morgana as she stalked down them, as soon as she stepped around a corner he pulled her into his arms, safe from prying eyes, "Shh…" he whispered in her ear as she threw her arms around him as he hugged her, "Shh, it'll be alright Gana…"

"He's a tyrant!" she cried, actually staring to cry against his shirt, "He won't even LISTEN. I tried to tell him there was no proof, that Tom might not have known he was helping a sorcerer, it's not like you can look at someone and just KNOW…"

"Well," he smiled lightly, rubbing her back, "I'm not certain about THAT…" which made her look up at him, confused, "When I first laid eyes on you," he reached out and stroked her cheek, "I knew you _had_ to be magic," he whispered, "You were far too beautiful to be ordinary."

She smiled, blushing, calming down from her murderous high, before she cuddled closer to him, letting his arms encompass her as she clutched to his shirt, resting her head on his chest, hearing his heartbeat calming her more, "He says he'll give a fair trial," she sighed, "But Uther already sees Tom as guilty for but breathing the same air as a sorcerer."

Merlin chuckled, humming lightly as he swayed her, "I wonder how he'd react to know he appointed his son a warlock as a manservant."

Morgana laughed, "I wonder how he'd react knowing I do MORE than just breathe the same air as a warlock," she smiled up at him, moving onto her toes to kiss him lightly.

"It'll be alight Gana," he promised when he pulled away, "We'll save him."

She nodded, "I may have been able to get Arthur to question him."

"Good," he remarked, "Let's hope Aya has luck in that area too."

~8~

Marayna watched as Arthur paced in his chambers, having explained everything that had happened in the Main Hall, oddly enough, as truthfully as it had probably happened.

"So…let me see if I understand," she began, "If I'm walking in the market, and a little old woman drops her basket of flowers, and I help her pick them up and go on my way…I could be executed if she's later found to be a sorceress?"

"Don't be ridiculous Mara," Arthur scoffed, "Of course not."

She frowned, "Why not? Because I'd hardly be innocent in the kKing's eyes."

"I'd vouch for you."

"Oh, so I'd be safe solely because I'm your servant then?"

"No…"

"So it's because you believe me so much?"

"Mara…"

"It's the same whether it was me or Tom," she cut in, "You have no solid proof he knew it was a sorcerer. Did either of you think Lady Helen or Sophia were what they were? You BOTH welcomed them into the castle and helped them, yet neither of you will be executed for doing so. Or did your father just forget that little detail of his own laws, because, based on what he's said just this night, he should execute himself…"

"That's treason!" he glared at her.

She rolled her eyes and waved her hand, "That is neither here nor there, but to continue, what I truly find fascinating is how you STILL don't realize that Tom is going to die either way, no matter how much proof you may find that he's innocent."

Arthur frowned, "If he is innocent then he shall be freed."

"Really?" she raised an eyebrow, "Didn't you JUST tell me that your father said, and I quote, 'He'll get a fair trial, and he'll be found guilty, 'cos that's what he is.' How in the world does that seem fair when the judge already believes a man is guilty? You know, Arthur, that Uther WON'T listen to ANYTHING that you or anyone else might say against Tom's guilt because he already thinks him guilty."

"My father will be as fair a judge as he is a king."

She stared at him a long while, "In all the years you've been alive and in all the trials you've witnessed, how many were proclaimed innocent?"

He was silent.

She nodded, getting up and brushing off her skirt, "That's what I thought," she stepped right up to him, "You must see the fallacy in this logic. The king hears magic and it is guilt. No matter what. No matter the innocence. Or have you forgotten Gwen?" he winced, "Or the children?"

He shook his head, "It won't just be up to him, he'll heed council and…"

She gave him a sad smile, patting him on the shoulder as she passed, "He's filled his council wtil those who would not dare oppose him. He has passed this judgment before and he will again…" she moved to the door, "Watch for the coming days Arthur, he'll execute men and women who simply smiled at the sorcerer."

He frowned as she left, shaking his head, actually hoping she'd be proven wrong…because he honestly felt like…she might be proven right.

~8~

Marayna stayed at Gwen's side as the girl went to visit her father in the dungeons. The guards had been loath to let them past, even with Gaius vouching for her. But when Merlin, of all people, pointed out that Marayna would go with her and, as servant to Arthur, she wouldn't ever break the law, to which they'd both silently sniggered, they relented. As long as she or Merlin went with Gwen…and with the guards thinking Merlin an idiot, it really left JUST her to go.

"I didn't know Tauren was a sorcerer," Tom finished his tale of what had happened to Gwen and Marayna, hoping that the servant of the prince might have his ear, "I meant no harm, I _swear_."

Gwen shook her head, "Why didn't you tell me what was going on?"

"I knew you wouldn't like it, Gwen. You're cautious. I didn't want to let an opportunity pass..."

"Opportunity? You call this an opportunity?"

"I know. I've been a fool," he sighed, "I just wanted to make a better life for us. For you. I wanted to make you happy."

"But I _am_ happy! I don't need anything else. I have everything I want."

"And I've thrown it all away," he whispered, his heart breaking to see his daughter so upset.

"I could have helped you," Gwen whispered, leaning in, "I could have made it so you wouldn't get caught…"

"How?" he shook his head, "It is impossible with Uther as king…"

Gwen smiled softly, looking at Marayna, "Rayna?"

She nodded, looking to the side, down the hall where the guards were, "_Na gehieran_," she whispered, her eyes flashing, before looking at a shocked Tom, "The guards won't hear us now."

"Wha…" Tom shook his head, "Gwen?"

"It's alright," Gwen said quickly, "Marayna and Merlin…they've only EVER used their magic for good, to help the castle, to…to protect Arthur…and me…" she looked down a moment, "They…healed you papa," she murmured, "When you were ill and nearly died."

Tom looked at her, stunned, "That was them…I thought it was a miracle," he turned back to Marayna, "_You_ healed me?"

She nodded, "Merlin and I, mostly Merlin, though…" she smiled, "I think Morgana would have done a better job."

Tom's eyes widened, "The Lady Morgana is a sorceress!" he shouted, before looking down the hall as though expecting guards to come running.

"Magic," Marayna murmured when no one came.

"It's how we're going to free you," Gwen added.

"No!' Tom cried as Marayna reached for the bars, "No, you _mustn't_…"

"We would _never _harm you Tom," Marayna promised, taking his hesitancy to be fear, "I swear, Merlin and I have only ever used it to protect…"

"I know," Tom nodded, seeing his cautious, good Gwen with them, he _knew_ she'd never trust an evil sorcerer. He knew his daughter well enough to know that, if she trusted them, then they were truly_ good_ people, "I know you won't, but you _can't_ help me escape that way."

"But…" Gwen began.

"If I 'magically' escape, then Uther will think me truly guilty," he explained, "I need a 'human' way out. Like…a key or a metal saw…"

"A key," Marayna nodded, "All the guards have one, it would be easy to explain it as you'd snatched it off one."

"But we won't be able to…" Gwen shook her head.

"We can take one from Arthur, he's got loads to spare."

"Then that's what we'll do," Gwen nodded, looking back at her father, determined, "We will get you out of here, I promise."

Tom smiled, "I know you will."

Gwen kissed his cheek through the bars and turned to head back down the corridor, Marayna moving to follow, when Tom reached out and took her arm, "Wait…Marayna," he whispered as she turned back, "If…if this doesn't work…" he blinked, tears in his eyes, "Please, promise me you and your brother will KEEP looking after Gwen, for me?"

"We ALWAYS will," she promised, resting her hand on his, "But that won't happen, we_ will_ free you," she winked, "We've freed quite a few people before you."

He laughed and nodded, relieved, as she headed off after Gwen, seeing her talking to Merlin and Gaius where the guards were.

"…said Tauren came to him at the forge," Gwen was saying, "Offered to pay him a fortune for his help, not to make weapons, for an experiment or something," she looked at the guards pointedly, "DIDN'T know he was a sorcerer," they just rolled their eyes, they'd heard _that _before.

"What kind of experiment?" Merlin frowned.

"Tauren didn't say."

Merlin looked at Marayna, '_But he used some kind of stone...some kind of magic..._' she added silently to him as he nodded.

~8~

Gaius stepped out of Merlin and Marayna's room, which had been offered to Gwen so she wouldn't be alone during this terrible time, "She's sleeping now."

"I don't understand it," Merlin rubbed his forehead, "What would a sorcerer want with Tom?"

"His forge, Merlin. It's the finest in the kingdom."

"Tom wasn't lying," Marayna shook her head, "He wasn't making weapons."

"I know," Gaius nodded, "When Tom was arrested, they found gold on him."

"So?" Merlin frowned.

"And from what Gwen was saying, Tauren's experiment bears all the hallmarks of alchemy."

"But alchemy's impossible, isn't it?" Marayna asked.

"To change the very nature of one thing to another has defeated all who have tried. But if you used magic..."

Merlin blinked, "Do you think _that's_ what woke us?"

"It is possible, I suppose."

"It would make sense," Marayna nodded before getting up to go sit with Gwen, knowing, even in sleep, the girl wouldn't want to be alone.

~8~

It hadn't even been an hour before both Merlin and Marayna sat up stiffly, feeling another surge of magic sweep through them. Marayna looked over as the door opened and Merlin entered, '_You felt it too?_' he asked her silently, not wanting to wake Gwen.

She nodded, '_What was it?_'

He could only shake his head, moving to sit on the floor beside Gwen's bed as Marayna sat on a chair, reaching out to take the girl's hand while Marayna stroked her hair.

There was a soft knock on the door moments later and Morgana entered, "Merlin," she smiled, "Rayna," she nodded at her, before turning her attention to Gwen, stepping further in, "How is she?"

"She's ok for now," Marayna told her.

"We should let her rest."

"Yeah," Merlin whispered, getting up to follow Morgana out of the room, "How are YOU Gana?" he asked, hugging her tightly.

She sighed, shaking her head, "This reminds me far too much of when my father died," she admitted, "Uther had sent him to battle, promised him troops, and never gave them. He died for Uther, and now it appears Tom will as well."

"We spoke to Tom. He _wasn't_ plotting against the king."

"I know. But Uther...Uther only sees enemies."

"But Tom is the most gentle soul I've ever met," he offered her a small smile, "Well, apart from yours."

She blushed, "What of Rayna?"

He laughed, "She does NOT have a gentle heart," he remarked, "She can be a right terror when she wants."

Morgana nodded, knowing Marayna truly _was_ a good person, but life as a peasant had made her tough, strong, willful. She was just as likely to lash out and fight as Arthur was. But she was a good woman, a just and fair woman, gentle in her own way.

"Uther won't care," she sighed, "Tom was seen with Tauren, and that makes him an enemy."

Merlin nodded, he expected that, "We were thinking of sneaking Tom a key, playing it off as being snatched from the guards. If Tom leaves it behind, Uther can't claim sorcery. It would give us time to clear his name if he makes it out."

Morgana nodded, "Leave that to me, I can get into Arthur's chambers, take one of his…"

"We were thinking that as well, expect well, Marayna wanted to get the key," he laughed, "She was actually hoping that Arthur would be there too."

"Why?"

"She's developed a fondness for knocking him out with whatever she can find," he chuckled, "Likes to prove she can still best him."

Morgana smiled, "Well if he's there, I'll knock him out for her."

He leaned in and kissed her quickly, "Good luck."

She nodded, heading off to do her part, not about to just sit by as her best friend's father's life was on the line.

~8~

"I feel as though I should say I told you so," Marayna remarked hours later as she stood by Arthur's side at the edge of the castle, watching as the executioner and some guards escorted various men into the square, all of whom were 'guilty' of harboring the sorcerer and 'helping' him. One had run the local inn the sorcerer stayed in, another the baker who the sorcerer had bought bread from, the last an old man who the sorcerer had helped collect water from the pumps.

And those were just a few.

"Don't Mara," he crossed his arms.

"Why not?" she challenged, crossing her arms in return, "They're to be executed, aren't they?"

"Yes."

"By order of the 'good and just' king?"

"They committed a serious crime!" he defended, he didn't like it, but this particular sorcerer was planning to make weapons! Weapons, they could only assume, that were meant to be used against Camelot.

She scoffed, rolling her eyes, "Giving a man a bed for the night in the inn?!"

"Not a man. A sorcerer. One of the evil ones."

"Alright then, are you going to arrest your father for giving Sophia a bed for the night?"

"That was different!"

"Why? Because he didn't know it was a sorceress? How is that different than them!" she gestured her hand at the men.

Arthur looked around shiftily as the crowd that was gathering, listening to them argue, some of them actually seeming to agree with her.

"It is not for you, or _anyone_," he cast a glance at the crowd, "To question my father's actions. Is that understood?"

"Oh I'm not questioning his," she remarked.

"No?"

"No. I _know _his actions are ridiculous," Arthur gaped at her openly stating that, the crowd actually looking impressed she would dare do it, "They are ruthless, blind, and flawed. I'm not questioning that at all."

"Mara…"

"No, I'm questioning _your _actions."

He blinked, "What?"

"Yes, _My Lord_," she shook her head, "YOU are to be the next king of Camelot. Your actions, right here, right now, will show the kingdom the type of king they shall have to look forward to," she eyed him, "I'm questioning whether your actions will prove you a better king than your father could ever hope to be or whether I should flee to another kingdom when a second Uther takes the throne."

And with that, she strode off, the crowd parting for her in awe as they looked at Arthur.

"Did she really just do that?" one of the men in the crowd murmured to another.

"Better question, HOW did she just do that?" a woman beside him shook her head.

Arthur turned and headed back into the castle, he didn't know either.

~8~

Tom was dead.

Gwen was devastated.

Apparently, Morgana had been able to give him the key to escape…but he'd been caught, leading Uther to give the order to the guards to execute the man on sight. Which was exactly what happened.

Gwen had been the one to see her father's dead body on public display, being carried off in a cart as a warning to others, and broken down, Merlin and Marayna rushing out to comfort her, support her, as her father was taken away, Morgana watching from her rooms. She'd immediately stormed off to confront Uther, shouting about how he was a tyrant and a cruel, unjust king…which had landed her in the dungeons, chained to the wall.

She looked up when she heard soft footsteps, but coming from the direction of the tunnels, not the guards. Marayna appeared, smiling. She glanced up and down the hall before her eyes flashed and the door unlocked. She stepped in, shutting it behind her, both of them knowing Morgana couldn't escape otherwise it would just make her look worse in Uther's eyes, just like with Tom.

"I'm sorry this happened," she began, moving to sit beside Morgana, reaching out to take her hands in hers, her eyes flashing as the manacles binding her fell away. Morgana rubbed her wrist and looked down at them, sores already forming from the chaffing. Marayna took her hands and held them up, "Try it."

Morgana looked at her wrists, concentrating, feeling a faint pressure behind her eyes, before her skin healed over. She let out a breath, feeling a small rush through her, "Was that…" she touched her cheek, just below her eyes.

"Yep," she nodded, "Your eyes flashed and everything."

Morgana smiled, "Gwen?"

"Merlin's with her. He wanted to come, of course, but um…Gwen wouldn't let go of him, she's…she's heartbroken."

"I hate Uther," Morgana spat, shaking her head at her thoughts of what her best friend was going through, "I can see why the Dragon thinks my path is still unclear," she knew he meant that her path could lead her to the darkness she feared, "I just…" she sighed, "I want to kill him sometimes. I truly do."

"You're not the only one…I think half the people might want to as well," she blushed, "I may have made a bit of a scene in the market earlier."

"Good for you," Morgana squeezed her hand, "Me standing up to Uther, you to Arthur, we are quite a pair aren't we?"

"Just be glad your bloke is Merlin," Marayna smiled "Arthur's skull must be inches thick."

"Well, you DO keep hitting him in the head," Morgana joked.

Marayna laughed, quieting a moment later, "I promised Tom, that I'd protect Gwen," she added, "That Merlin and you and I would protect her," she shook her head, "How much longer till Other goes after her as well for merely being his daughter?"

Morgana sighed, "Too soon."

"We have to stop him."

"I agree. But how?"

Marayna was silent a long while, before she turned to Morgana, "I have an idea…but I need your help."

"Anything," Morgana squeezed her hand.

~8~

Gwen was sitting on Marayna's bed in her and Merlin's room, Merlin sitting beside her, his arm around her, she'd let go of him a few moments ago, but was just…staring blankly into space and it was worrying him, "Gwen?"

"I just don't understand," she murmured, "He should have been able to get out. He KNOWS the kingdom. Why would Uther have him murdered on sight? His trial was in the morning."

There was a knock on the door as Arthur entered, Gwen didn't even look up, didn't move, didn't care enough to show him propriety.

"Guinevere," he began formally, his heart hurt to see her like that, to see a woman he'd come to view as a sister (at least in his own mind) so…devastated.

His father…he had all but declared Tom guilty when the man had tried to flee, had thrown out the notion of a fair trial he'd always claimed the accused would get. No matter what, _he_ would have let the man, upon capture, have that trial. People were scared, they naturally tried to flee, it was the same with animals that were being hunted.

Marayna's words had come back to haunt him as he saw exactly how his father had reacted to Tom's escape. It hadn't even been the work of magic, they'd found a key on the floor, but he _still _declared the man guilty, claimed he was escaping to join the sorcerers when everyone could see he just…hadn't wanted to die.

"I...want you to know that your job is safe," he added, "And that your home is yours for life. I guarantee you that. I know that under the circumstances it's not much but anything you want, anything you need, all you have to do is ask," he paused a moment at the silence, "I'm sorry."

"Thank you," Gwen called when he turned to leave, not blaming _him_, she knew Arthur, he'd NEVER have given that order.

~8~

Merlin stepped out of his chambers, Gwen sleeping again as he saw Marayna enter the room from the other end, both of them smiling at each other. They often did that, appeared at the same time in the same place without preplanning it, "Merlin," Gaius called, "Rayna," spotting them from the book he was flipping through, "Come and take a look. I've been doing some research and found this."

"The Mage Stone?" Marayna frowned as she eyed the sketch of the stone her uncle was looking at.

"Wonder of the ancients," Gaius remarked, "Lost for a thousand years or more."

"What does it do?" Merlin asked.

"Theoretically, it could give the bearer the power of transformation."

"Gold," Marayna's eyes widened, "The power of alchemy!"

"Exactly. I believe it was the Mage Stone you sensed on the night of Tom's arrest."

"Of course!" Merlin nodded, "Tom said that Tauren had some kind of stone!"

~8~

Morgana sat in the cell, the manacles back around her wrist, as she went over the plan Marayna had devised. It was brilliant, it was crafty, much like she imagined Marayna had to be in order to have survived with her magic as long as she had. Merlin gave off the innocent feeling, but Marayna was far too brash to get off in that manner. She could see Merlin bumbling his way through an explanation for something odd happening, but Marayna would need a bit more skill than that, because that wasn't her personality to be so stuttering. This plan though…it would be hard, it would require far more patience than she thought she had at the moment.

She looked up when the doors opened and Arthur entered, "You," she glared, "How proud you must be. Son of the mighty Uther. How you must look up to him. Does the king's little helper bring a message? Or have you just come to gloat?"

"Guards!" he called.

Morgana stood and backed away, yanking at the chains restraining her, "Get away from me, you cowards!"

"You're free to go," Morgana stopped as the guards unlocked her and turned to stirde to the doors when Arthur spoke quietly, "Morgana," she paused, "I swore to him you'd never challenge his authority again. I swore that you'd learned your lesson. Tread carefully. Next time, I may not be able to help you."

Morgana smirked, her back to Arthur, "Thank you," before it morphed to a smile as she looked at Arthur over her shoulder, "You're a better man than your father. Always were," and with that, she turned and left, Marayna was right, she truly knew Arthur and his reactions.

Arthur though, frowned as he watched Morgana leave, her words sounding oddly like what Marayna had shouted at him earlier.

~8~

Gwen had departed for the night, gone to tend to Morgana, needing _something _to do to keep her busy, not wanting to return home. Merlin and Marayna took the time to sleep, needing it for what they knew the upcoming days would hold. Hunting down the sorcerer, helping Gwen, keeping Morgana from trying to attack Uther with a fork…

Merlin jerked awake as he felt the familiar magic of the stone flare, Marayna sitting up on her cot suddenly as well though she hadn't been sleeping.

They quickly got out and rushed out of the room, making their way through Camelot…only to see Morgana glancing back, a cloak around her, as she snuck through the castle. Merlin frowned at seeing her and took his sister's hand, following her through the Lower Towns and into the woods…nearly about to jerk forward to help her when the sorcerer, Tauren, and his men surrounded her, but Marayna pulled him behind a tree, pressing a finger to her lips.

'_Aya!_' he cried, '_Morgana…_'

'_Clearly expected this,_' she cut in. He frowned at that, confused, '_She's not alarmed,_' she explained, '_Merlin…why else would she come here?_'

He paused, considering that…when he heard them starting to talk.

"Where's your maid?" Tauren demanded.

"I've come in her place," Morgana stated, having been told by Gwen that she'd been confronted by Tauren and the man demanded she 'bring the stone' to him, not that Gwen had any idea at all what the stone was.

"Kill her."

"No! Wait! I brought the Stone!" she held it up.

Merlin's eyes widened as he saw it, frowning, why hadn't she told him she'd had it? Marayna though, glanced at her brother's expression before watching Morgana, _not _as surprised as he was.

"What else have you brought, My Lady? The Knights of Camelot?"

"I came alone, I promise you."

"Give me the stone," he snatched it from her, "You were foolish to come here. I had no quarrel with your maid. But you, my Lady Morgana, you are Uther's ward!" he pulled his sword and put it at her stomach.

Merlin jerked again, but Marayna held him back, '_She's not afraid._'

"If you kill me, you'll regret it," Morgana said calmly.

"Why is that?"

"Because I want Uther dead, too."

Merlin's heart stopped at hearing that. He knew Morgana was angry, but this…this was…_dark_…this was like the darkness she feared was inside her.

"You? An enemy of the king?" Tauren scoffed, "And I'm to believe that?"

"Why else would I be here?"

"I can only guess at your motives, my Lady. You could be a spy, for all I know."

"And this…" she pulled back her sleeve to reveal the new sores around her bruised wrists, left unhealed, for this very purpose, "Is it usual for Uther to chain his friends to a dungeon wall? The stone," she nodded at it, "You took it to the forge. Why?"

"With it a man can alter the very essence of things. He can turn a lump of lead into gold."

"Gold? A good man died in your quest for riches, Tauren. His daughter is now an orphan."

"I'm sorry for that. Truly. But we did not want the gold to line our pockets. The gold was but a means, a means to rid this kingdom of Uther Pendragon once and for all."

"What are you saying?" Morgana eyed him.

"Bribery is rife at Camelot. I will use the corruption at the heart of his kingdom, and such abundance of gold will buy me into the king's chambers, even to the king himself."

"The guards may be fools, Tauren, but the king is not."

"Do you have a better plan?"

She smirked, "To get to Uther, you need someone close to him."

"And you know of such a person?"

"I do," she nodded, "_Me_."

Merlin gasped as Marayna squeezed his hand.

~8~

"Pass the salt, please," Gaius called as Merlin stared at his bowl of dinner, distracted, his mind on Morgana and what she was planning to do.

He was so torn. Did he tell her he knew? Confront her about not telling him? Try to stop her? Alert the king?

No, _not _alert the king, he would NEVER do that to Morgana. It was just…this was _so_ unlike her. He couldn't see her trying to kill the king. Something was wrong. For a moment, he wondered if Tauren had cursed the stone, enchanted her…

He reached out and handed Gaius an apple.

"You alright?"

"What?" Merlin looked up, "Yeah. I've just got a few things on my mind, that's all."

"Anything you'd like to talk to me about?"

"I can't imagine you'd be interested."

"So long as you're sure."

Merlin shook his head, "Come on Aya," he glanced at his sister who had been sitting silently beside him, "We should be getting to work," he got up and headed to the door behind him.

"Merlin?" Marayna called, standing up, "That's a broom cupboard."

He nodded, moving to the correct door this time.

Gaius looked at Marayna as he left, "Morgana might be trying to kill the king," she deadpanned. Gaius blinked as she got up and moved to leave as well, "But we're on it."

~8~

Merlin stood at the window of Arthur's chambers, staring out them, far too much on his mind to be healthy. He'd snuck down to see the Dragon, without his sister, only for the Dragon to basically tell him to _let _Uther die, ignoring his concerns over the path Morgana seemed to have started down. He'd talked to Gaius about whether Uther was a good king…only for the man to defend his friend, claiming him a good king regardless of what he'd done, but also bringing up the point that Arthur…he _wasn't _ready to be king.

And, to make matters worse, Morgana had met Tauren again, solidifying their plots to kill the king. Apparently she would ride out with Uther to her father's grave and, from there, Tauren and his men would attack and kill him. He was finding it hard to believe this was even happening, that his Gana could orchestrate something so sinister. It wasn't like her…

He was almost certain she was being enchanted.

"Merlin?" Gwen asked, spotting him staring out the window. She knew Marayna had been requested by Gaius to gather herbs so Merlin had been left to clean Arthur's rooms, but he wasn't doing much of that.

"Gwen," he blinked, turning to her, "How are you doing?"

"I was about to ask you the same question."

"I'm fine. Fine."

Gwen looked out the window at the riding party of Morgana and Uther, heading out with some guards, "Morgana's been amazing these last few days."

"Yeah," he smiled softly, "She has. But…" he blushed, looking at her too, "I think _you've_ been amazing. After all that's happened, getting your life back together..."

"It's better than sitting in an empty house, waiting for my father to walk through the door. The thing I find hardest to bear is that people will always think he was guilty because he tried to escape," she sighed, "If he had made it, we could have proved him innocent."

"Well, WE know he was innocent."

"Sometimes I wonder if it helped. Uther had already made up his mind. That's the kind of man he is."

"I wouldn't blame you if you wanted him dead," he remarked, looking at her carefully.

"If Uther died I'd feel nothing. He means nothing to me."

"But if you had...you know...the choice, what would you do? If you had the power of life and death over Uther, would you kill him? For what he did?"

"No."

"No?" he blinked.

"What would that solve?" Gwen shook her head, sighing, "That would make me a murderer. That would make me as bad as him."

Merlin smiled, "You're right. Of course you're right!" he ran out of the room, he had to get to Morgana, he had to tell her that. He knew the ONE thing she feared was to become lost in her hate, to become Uther. If he could just show her what Gwen had shown him, he'd get her back.

"Is anything wrong?!" Gwen called after him.

"No, no! See you later!"

Gwen frowned though, guessing where Merlin had gone, hoping it wouldn't ruin Morgana's plans for if even a single thing went wrong…Morgana would surely be executed.

~8~

Merlin was running through the woods, trying to catch up to the riding party, the Sidhe staff in his hands, rushing past the horses that Uther and Morgana had left…only to see the guards dead, the sorcerers ahead of him, already closing in on Uther and Morgana as they knelt at the top of a hill at her father's grave.

He bolted, rushing after them, "_Ácwele!_" he shouted, blasting one of the sorcerers, to see another drawing his sword, so he took care of that one too. He moved in closer, spotting Tauren, the cause for Morgana's descent, aimed, "_Ácwele!_"

Tauren suddenly turned and held up the stone, absorbing the bolt and sending it back at him…knocking Merlin back flat on the ground before the man snuck up on Uther.

"No!" Morgana cried, spotting Tauren behind Uther, "No! No!"

Uther turned just in time and blocked the blow of Tauren's sword, wrestling with the man, their shouts stirring Merlin to action once more. He rolled over and saw Tauren pin Uther down, pulling out a dagger.

"Die, Uther Pendragon!" Tauren sneered, about to stab the man…when he fell forward, a sword in his back.

Morgana dropped the sword, Uther's sword that she had picked up, as Uther pushed the man away, hugging her tightly.

~8~

Merlin sat in Gaius's chambers, his leg up on a stool, his tumble down the hill from when he'd been knocked back had twisted his ankle, "Busy day?" Gaius asked as he wrapped his young ward's foot.

"Had its moments," he shrugged.

"I hear that Tauren tried to assassinate Uther."

"That's what I hear."

"And that Morgana saved him. How many men were there? Three? Four?"

Merlin smiled, Morgana had redeemed herself, come back from her darkness all on her own, just as he knew she would, and saved the King, "Yeah, something like that."

"Morgana must have shown extraordinary courage to have defended a king against such odds. I suppose you had nothing to do with it?"

"Oh, you know. Just background stuff."

"No need to be so modest, Merlin."

"Sorry."

"It's not a criticism. It's a compliment."

Merlin smiled, "Right. Thanks, Gaius," though his smile faded, with his foot all done up, he'd be unable to meet Morgana that night, it was good he'd sent Marayna to tell her.

~8~

Morgana looked up as there was a knock n her door, Gwen opening it to reveal Marayna, "Rayna," Gwen brightened, "What's wrong?"

She laughed, "Nothing's wrong, well, nothing too bad," she glanced at Morgana, "Merlin's twisted his ankle, he won't be able to bring Morgana her draught, and Arthur still wants me to polish his armor…"

"I can get the potion," Gwen offered, truly needing more to do, before dashing off.

Marayna watched her go before entering Morgana's chambers and shutting the door behind her, "I'm sorry you had to do that alone," she murmured after a moment.

"Me too," Morgana nodded, she'd felt_ so_ tempted to let Uther die, but she shook her head, she hadn't had it in her, even then, to let it happen, "I'm sorry you had to lie to your brother."

"Me too," she sighed, "But everything went according to plan?"

Morgana nodded, "Uther trusts me implicitly now."

"Good," she took a breath, "We'll need that in the future."

Morgana smiled, "Who would have thought you capable of such deceit?"

"Well," she laughed, "You know what they say about us 'sorcerers,'" she smiled though, "I've always been better at tricking people than Merlin."

Morgana laughed, "I can tell. I doubt Merlin would have ever considered putting Uther in danger like that."

Marayna shrugged, thinking of her plan to 'kill the king' but not really KILL him, "Uther could handle himself. I'm proud of you though Morgana," she added, "It took remarkable skill to pretend not to hate him."

She nodded, "I'd do anything for Merlin."

It had been their goal to get Morgana trusted by the king once more as they both knew his trust in her had been shaken by her reaction to Tom. They needed that trust so that, if in the future, one of them was accused of sorcery, she could better sway Uther's decision. Merlin, of course, seemed more likely to be caught than her which was why she'd agreed and played her role so well, she wouldn't ever want to see him harmed.

A/N: These glitches are slowly driving me insane :( I was able to log on! So I was doing a dance in my chair (of course lol), clicked on Doc Manager to double check the chapter...and it kicks me off! D: I just got on about 2 minutes ago, posted Welcome Holmes, went to this...and it kicked me off again! Multiple (probably obsessive/frantic) refreshes later and it finally got me to the chapters page again so I'm posting this before it glitches on me again :( I'm thinking I should go back to my old internet explorere, Chrome I got last week, and then this happens :(

-Sigh- But I hope you liked the twist for the chapter, Tom knew, but he's a wise man isn't he? And the plot with Uther being an actual plot and not something Morgana changed her mind in :) I did like that she regretted her decision in the show and saved him, but I wanted it to be more of a preplanned, conscious knowledge that Uther was not going there to die :)

Some notes on reviews...

Morgause will still appear yup ;) But we'll have to wait and see what happens with her }:)

I'm glad you're enjoying the story :) I can't promise that a hedgehog will appear, but I can say that someone will have a very small pet one day, I can't say who or what it will be though }:) I love hedgehogs and turtles too ^-^ And no worries, ramble away :)


	22. Sight

A/N: Sorry! Sort of important note (that I'll also be putting in tomorrow's chapter as I'm editing this in later than it was posted). I've been made aware that the author Phantom's Ange, who had originally plagiarized my Doctor Who story, the Hidden Lady of Time, in her Rebel Companion story, has, once again, **plagiarized me** in the revision to Rebel, Hope's Light. I was contacted about her lastest chapter for the episode 42, and made aware that she had not revised it at all from how she originally posted it, save making an OC more present and changing the end scene slightly, and that a majority of the chapter was word for word identical to mine :(

I take plagiarism very seriously and checked into it. I've had issues with this author through most of last year and had sworn not to look at her revision (for the sake of my own sanity) unless it was brought to my attention by readers that plagiarism was happening. I haven't looked...and then it was brought to my attention :( I checked and there are very large portions that belong to me, discounting dialogue, a majority of description and action were taken from my story. I have side-by-side comparison proof on my tumblr (link on profile), it is the most recent entry in my 'Plagiarizers' page.

I hate to do this, I really do, but I would like to request your help in reporting the chapter and author to the site. It was brought to my attention that she, a few years ago, had plagiarized a LotR story (when she wrote as the username 'Shero'), something I was unaware of when she plagiarized me. I gave her the chance to edit, I tried not to nitpick the 'how someone speaks' (replied/says/nodded) but it was brought to my attention that the chapter in question is NOT in the style the author normally writes in but in _mine_. It has led me to believe she has not been revising her story as promised and I have posted the proof for anyone to see in screencaps of both stories on my tumblr if you wished to check first or you can feel free to compare the chapters yourself, I believe the plagiarism is noticable about 1/3 or 1/4 through her chapter.

I do hate to ask, but I need your help. This has gone on a year and there is now plagiarism appearing in the revised verison of her first story as well :(

Thank you :(

~8~

Sight

Marayna and Gwen sat in Morgana's rooms, watching as the noblewoman paced back and forth before them, Merlin trailing after her, trying to calm her down. She and Gwen were off to the side, her with Arthur's chainmail on her lap as she polished it, Gwen with one of Morgana's dresses that she was mending, both of them silent and turning their heads back and forth to watch the two pacing. It had only been a week since Tom had died and, while they didn't bring it up unless Gwen did first, they could tell that was the reason for Morgana's pacing. Ever since it happened she'd gotten tenser, slept less, paced more, snapped at Arthur…though that one was more normal than her other actions…but Merlin claimed that she was snapping more than normal.

It had made Marayna question how he knew how often Morgana snapped at Arthur, which made Merlin blush and stuttered that he had no idea. Marayna knew of course, that he'd been watching the interactions between Morgana and Arthur through the time they'd been in Camelot, whether to just gaze at Morgana or narrow his eyes at Arthur (before he and Morgana had confessed how they felt) she wasn't sure, but it was the same thing to her. It was just her brother being in love.

And if he was right, then everything was still bothering Morgana. Marayna wasn't sure if it was entirely Tom's death that was alarming her or what she'd had to do to Uther, what she'd had to make others believe in doing what she had. But the guilt in Morgana's eyes whenever she looked at them, at GWEN, was enough to reassure her Morgana had no qualms with what she'd done to Uther at all. It was Gwen the woman was worried about. They suspected that Morgana perhaps felt responsible for Tom's death, having been the one to slip him the key he'd used to escape. They'd both tried to talk to Morgana about it at different times, to reassure her that Gwen didn't blame her, that Gwen had been in agreement with the plan to get him the key, and that it was NOT her fault Tom had been caught. If it hadn't been her it would have been one of them giving the man his freedom from the cell. Each situation seemed likely to lead to the same event though.

They knew though, that the only way to get Morgana to calm down, was to have Gwen and her talk about it.

"I'm sorry," Morgana spun around, mid-pace, nearly leaving Merlin to run into her side as she faced Gwen, "I'm so sorry Gwen, it's all my fault."

Marayna had to smile just the tiniest bit at that, it had taken her and Merlin ages of trying to subtly get Morgana to just…talk to Gwen about it, no matter how much it might hurt Gwen for her to bring it up, they both needed closure about Morgana's involvement. Morgana kept saying that she couldn't bring it up, it was too soon, it would upset Gwen, she wanted her to begin to heal…but they all knew that Gwen would notice Morgana's tension and worry about her. Gwen was a clever girl, she'd make the connection to her father and every time she saw Morgana like that it would only remind her of what she'd lost.

It seemed Morgana had finally realized that she was just hurting Gwen more by dragging it out. The two women were close, as close as sisters even if not for the ridiculous societal standard of mistress and servant. But in close quarters, with just their most important friends, they could ignore their stations and be the friends they'd always been. And that was why it was so painful for both girls, both were so hurt by what happened to Tom, both were trying to help the other cope with their loss and guilt, but both just seemed to miss how to do it.

"Morgana," Gwen shook her head, "It wasn't your fault, we all agreed that a key would be best and…"

"No," Morgana cut in lightly, "I'm sorry for…" she sighed, "I'm sorry I didn't 'see' it," she told Gwen, her voice dropping to a low whisper at the mention of her gifts. Even though she was around them, she knew that there was NEVER a safe time to speak of magic within the walls of Camelot, "I'm sorry I didn't warn you earlier. If I'd just…had a nightmare or something about it I could have saved him."

They looked at Morgana with sad smiles on their faces at her words. Merlin's though was just a tiny bit proud. Morgana, at first, had been torn between accepting her magic and being terrified of it, leaning more towards terror than anything. She'd been so scared it was a sign she was evil, that she'd become corrupt for having such power at her control. Even after she'd healed Mordred, he knew there was still a tiny lingering fear, knowing she could easily end Uther's life with magic probably hadn't helped during Tom's death. But there she was, trying to look at the good her magic could offer.

He knew that, when she hadn't known what her dreams really were, when she hadn't known they were visions of the future, she'd tried to disregard them, ignore them, bury them, even prevent them. She had been so scared when they started coming true, thinking it a sign there was something wrong...or even evil...about her and what she could do. She had seen so many terrible outcomes and hadn't wanted to think on them, hadn't known what they could mean. But now that she knew, she WANTED them to happen.

Unfortunately she didn't seem to have control over when she got them or how or what she saw.

"I wish I knew how to get one," Morgana moved to kneel before Gwen, "I wish I had more control, I could have looked out for Tom more if I had. And for that, I am so sorry Gwen."

"It's still not your fault my Lady," Gwen reached out to take Morgana's hand, "You only just learned what you could do a short while ago, and you did all you could for my father," she smiled despite feeling tears in her eyes, "I do not blame you for not having control either. This is Camelot, you can't exactly practice your…talents easily."

"I wouldn't even know where to start practicing," she added.

"Nor do we," Merlin sighed, moving to lean against the bedpost, crossing his arms, "Gaius hasn't met many Seers, he doesn't know how to train you."

Marayna looked down at that, thinking a moment before she grinned, "But I think I might," she cheered, standing and rushing to Merlin, "Finish this for me!" she half-asked, half-requested as she ran for the doors.

"Oi, Aya!" Merlin frowned, "Where are you going?"

"I just…need to check something," she smiled at him, walking backwards towards the door, "I'll be back soon Merlin, don't worry, and…when I do, I might just have a way to help you Morgana," she winked at them and spun on her heel, rushing out of the room.

~8~

She didn't know why they hadn't thought of this sooner, the Dragon!

She'd once told Gaius that, if anything ever happened to him by way of enchantment they would be left rather in the dark as to what to do to help stop an enemy or fight a magical creature. It had been why she'd given him the amulet she'd been working on, it had protected him from Gretchen's spells, or she liked to think it had. There would have been no point to go after Merlin, Morgana, Gwen, and Arthur but not her uncle as well. Still, it wasn't entirely true, there was always the Dragon, he'd helped them quite a few times in the past, once or twice he hadn't even realized he had.

She'd gotten a bit better at talking to it, at sort of…tricking it. Her mother had always said she was a good judge of character, she could always tell when someone was lying or just knew what they were like. It was beneficial in dealing with nobles as it helped her gauge what they were like, what their limits were, what she might be able to get away with. She never would have punched Arthur the first time she'd been in Camelot if she hadn't felt that it would shock him so much that he wouldn't retaliate. She would never quip like she rarely did with Uther if she didn't think he'd be more…slightly amused by her cheek than offended. She could sometimes guess what a person needed to hear to be swayed, she just liked to think she was observant.

She had spent a lot of time with the Dragon, visiting it, talking to it, just…listening to its stories. She knew what the Dragon was like, what his vices and virtues were, the things that he was eager to talk about and the things to keep away from. She had managed to, once or twice, worm information out of him by phrasing her question as more one of interest or steer a conversation towards a specific topic so that she could find out what she wanted to know without the dragon thinking she was just using him for information.

It was probably deceptive and tricky…but the Dragon deserved it for being so cryptic every other time!

"Hello young witch," the Dragon greeted as he saw her enter his den.

She rolled her eyes, "You know you CAN just call me Marayna, well Rayna, that seems to be the one most prefer."

The Dragon chuckled, well aware of the two or three other names she was called by only 3 other men, each of whom would fight another to the death for calling her by their nicknames. Not truly to the death, he knew, but they were all rather fond of being the only ones to call her such names.

"What is the purpose of this visit?" he crossed his front talons and leaned in.

"There was something I was curious about…" she began, picking her words carefully, "You said that there were shifts in destiny when Merlin and I were born, that you saw the future of Camelot."

"That I did," he nodded.

"How?" she shook her head, "How do you do it?" she made sure to make herself sound a bit awed at that, if just to appeal to the dragon's vain nature, "Was it something all dragons could do or did you have to practice at it? How do you even learn something like that? It's not like saying a spell."

The Dragon chuckled, "It is an innate ability all dragons possess, yes. But we DO have to educate ourselves in our skills should we wish to see more than just the enormous changes in the fate of others."

"And how do you do that? What, do Dragons have a school or something?"

"No," the Dragon smiled, turning his head to look at her, "It is a knowledge and a lesson passed down from generation to generation. A lesson found in nature itself."

Marayna blinked, "I don't think the birds and the fish can see the future."

"Not in that aspect of nature. The key to the future can be found in that which makes up our world."

She sighed, he was going to be cryptic again wasn't he?

"It are the elements that allow us to look into the future and to see what we do."

She blinked, "But you're not made of water or fire," she shook her head, before realizing what she'd said and who she'd said it to, "I mean, you ARE fire but I don't quite understand…"

"The gift of sight is just that, young witch, a gift. It is a natural ability one possesses since birth, it needed only be honed and strengthened through practice. This is where the elements come to play."

"The elements are tools then?" she guessed.

He nodded, "Each element offers a new way to see the future, a clearer way, and yet each method is harder to learn than the last."

"So how do you start? What's the easiest element to use?"

"Air," he began, "Air is where all life begins, with our first intake of breath as an infant, to our last, air is abundant, it is all around us. Air is the representation of calm, of our natural state. It exists and is unchanging. When learning to use air, one learns to meditate, to focus their breathing, to feel the air around them, to be as relaxed as it is. Visions will come to one who manages such a state."

Marayna nodded, that actually made sense! And it explained exactly why Morgana had so many nightmares yet no visions while she was awake. When she was asleep, her body was relaxed, her breathing even and deep, her mind drifting. She was truly at one with the air around her, her mind open, as she dreamed. And as she dreamed, the visions just came to her. When she was awake and moving, with her mind active and frantic, it was not conducive to having visions like when she was asleep.

Essentially, the first step for Morgana would be to meditate to let the visions come to her while she was still awake. But that didn't seem to really help her focus, did it? Meditation would calm her enough to have a vision, but with her mind so relaxed and open, it had to be hard to specify or focus on what you wanted to see.

"After air, come water," the Dragon continued, "Water is the physical manifestation of air, fluid, moving, yet peaceful and calm at times. It is clear, it is solid, and if it is pure enough, can act as a mirror through which the future can be seen. Water reflects life, it reflects the future as well."

Water was essentially like meditating then, except looking into a reflective surface rather than nothing at all. She imagined the water would have t be very calm, like that sitting in a bowl or a glass. If the Dragon was to be believed and water was meant to be reflective of the future, well, she couldn't help but think that those particular vision wouldn't be quite clear, or at least would be very general in nature. Mirrors, while they showed you yourself, could show you others too, they showed you everything around it.

"Earth comes next," the Dragon picked up.

"How?" Marayna frowned, "Do you stare a tree or something? Does the future appear in the lines of the bark?"

The Dragon let out a small chuckle at that, "It can appear in crystal," he corrected, "In pure crystal the closest future can be seen. It allows the visions to be focused, to see what one wishes to see, the crystal itself both magnifying the power of the person using it, while also shattering the vision itself."

"Visions can be shattered?"

"It…scatters the images," he amended, "It disjoints them. For every cut of the crystal, a moment of the future plays. It is difficult to master the art of scrying with crystal, one is never to see a clear vision."

It reminded her of prisms, when she thought of it like that. She and Merlin had found one or two natural crystal prisms when they'd been younger. They would hang the crystals in the windows of their home and watch as the sun drifted down, casting light into the window, making speckles of rainbows appear. She knew that crystal did that, no matter who hard you cut or smoothed, there were many facets of a crystal, which would make for any sides of a vision.

"Fire's last then," she remarked.

The Dragon nodded, "Yes. Fire is the most accurate tool one can use to determine the future, it is fierce, strong, true. It burns away the falsehood, allowing only the future to be seen. It is difficult to master as well, to look into the every changing flames and see the vision within. It allows for someone to see the future they wish to view and only that future. But fire is a powerful tool and a dangerous one and only the most skilled are able to master it."

"And because you 'are' fire," Marayna rolled her eyes, "I take it YOU are a master."

"Why yes," he grinned, "Dragons possess the unique skill to use our internal fire to allow us to see the future as though we were there watching it happen. It takes many years, even for us to master such a skill."

Marayna nodded to herself, thinking over what could be done for Morgana. It was…surprisingly easy really. Morgana could always meditate whenever she wished, no one would ask her what she was doing if she claimed she were merely trying to catch up on rest after having been woken by a nightmare. It wouldn't be odd for a noblewoman to wish a glass of water and just keep it in her room, nor would it be odd for her to have a basin of water either, she could wash her hands or hair in it. The crystal, might be slightly tricky as it might be associated with sorcery to possess any sort of crystal that wasn't meant to be jewelry. But she was sure that she and Merlin could work out some way to sneak her a good sized one from somewhere to practice when she reached that point. And there was a fireplace in Morgana's rooms so, on cold nights, nothing would be amiss if she sat up late, enjoying the warmth of it.

She was almost jealous that Morgana was a seer, her skills would be far easier to practice without being caught than hers or Merlin's were.

~8~

Morgana stood in her rooms, staring at the small row of objects on her vanity, a fan, a basin of water, a small chip of crystal, and a lit candle…before she turned to Marayna, incredulous, "THESE are supposed to help me control my sight?"

Marayna smiled as she stood beside Merlin, Gwen having gone to fetch a larger bit of crystal that her father had had in the forge for one of the more delicate metal works, a commission by a minor lord for some sort of mirror for his wife that was meant to have crystals around the edge of it. With her father's passing, the man had cone elsewhere, but most of her father's supplies had remained, and that would be a very nice bit of closure for her. The last thing her father was going to work on, left unfinished, would be used by the woman who had tried to save him to save others. She knew that would be just the sort of use her father would hope for when it came t his various objects, the safety of others.

"Apparently," Marayna nodded, "Not all at once, each has to be mastered before the next can be used, I just wanted to show you what they were and…small ways that you can still hide what you're really doing."

"Which one is she meant to start with?" Merlin glanced at his sister.

"Air," she recited, nodding at the fan, "Meditation and sleep are when the visions come unbidden and randomly. It's easier for air…"

"I've already got plenty of nightmares," Morgana cut in, not wanting to think that she might be meditating and suddenly be hit with a horrible vision. No, she wanted to learn how to see what she wanted to see, or at least filter out the ones she didn't want to know about, "Can't I start with the next one?"

"Water," Marayna supplied, "I don't think you should though," she countered, "You need to be able to get a vision before you try to look for one."

"But she HAS been getting visions," Merlin reminded her, "She's dreamed one at least once a week!"

Marayna ran a hand through her hair, considering that, she wasn't quite sure that skipping air would work well, the Dragon had said it was the most natural step and Morgana HAD been fighting against it for a long time now, but...she hadn't been succeeding so there was a chance her visions were just too strong for air and needed the next in the chain to settle, "I suppose we could give it a go," she shrugged, there couldn't be harm in trying to scry with water. And if Morgana was unable to do it, then they had air to fall back on and build up.

Morgana beamed and walked over to the basin, the same one she often washed her hair in, looking down at her reflection, smiling wider when she saw Merlin step up behind her before he rested his hand on the small of her back, making her shiver just slightly. She glanced to the side as Marayna came into sight in the water as well, on her left, "What do I do?"

Marayna took a breath, recalling the extra words the Dragon had given her, "For Water, you need to just look at its surface and pretend it's a window, look at it as though you're looking at a scene playing beyond it. Think about how you want that scene to be the future. You can try to make it specific, a specific future you're looking for, but don't be surprised if it doesn't appear or if it's not the future you intended to spy upon."

Morgana nodded and placed her hands on the edges of her vanity, leaning over just so to look into the basin. It was a metal one, filled with fresh water, calm, still, and very much like a window. She gazed into the still waters, doing as Marayna had recommended, picturing it as a window, trying to see what was beyond it. She could feel a small force building in her head, just behind her eyes like when she'd healed her wrists in the dungeons…and she knew, she was getting close, her magic was reaction, it was helping her, she just might see the future in…

"Morgana!" she heard Arthur shout from just behind her door and snapped, back looking around, frantic, as though just the objects before her would get her accused of sorcery, "Have you seen my lazy servants!?"

Morgana looked at Marayna just as the doors opened and reached out, grabbing Marayna and tugging her over, quickly pushing her down to the basin, and turning her head. Submerging some of her hair and head into the water.

"Arthur!" Morgana greeted calmly, letting Marayna up, "What are you doing here?"

Arthur just blinked, seeing his one servant standing there like he hadn't understood a word of what had happened, while his other servant was glaring daggers at Morgana with her hair soaking wet, "What are YOU doing?" he countered.

Morgana rolled her eyes, as though irritated he couldn't work it out though she was inwardly thrilled he had no idea, that he hadn't guessed she was about to do magic. She knew it was likely a very large overreaction on her part. She often had a fan and a basin of water, a candle lit here and there and Arthur was always going on about her and her 'sparkly jewels.' It wouldn't be alarming to see her have those items out, but there was something about knowing that she had been doing magic that made her more on edge.

"I was giving Rayna's hair a wash," Morgana stated.

"Washing Mara's hair?" he gave her an odd look for that. Whatever it was she'd been doing…it looked more like she was trying to drown the girl in the basin instead. Though he was sure that wasn't true, Merlin would have not just stood by and let that happen.

"Yes," Marayna played along, "I was gathering herbs for Gaius before and got a few twigs and leaves stuck in my hair. Morgana was helping me clean them out. Wouldn't you know, we found bits of tomato from when Sophia came to visit."

Arthur's expression morphed to one of guilt as he straightened. He knew it wasn't a slight against her hygiene to claim that they'd found bits of old fruit in her hair from so long ago, but more a dig against him that she'd been hit with so much fruit that even now, months later, she was still picking bits out of it.

"Right," he cleared his throat, "I just came to ask if you'd finished polishing my armor, I've training with the knights and…"

"It's right here," Merlin nodded, heading over to the chainmail he and Marayna had worked on and handing it to Arthur.

The prince looked at it critically, then eyed him and Marayna suspiciously, "YOU polished this?" he asked them.

"What, not shiny enough for you to see your reflection in?" Marayna quipped, "We had to make sure you didn't get distracted by that handsome face of yours."

Arthur just rolled his eyes though Merlin could see a quick in the corner of his lips, the man fighting a smile. He glanced at his sister and idly wondered if she realized she'd just called Arthur handsome.

"It's fine," Arthur answered, "I was merely impressed it took you this long. I was expecting to have to wait another hour."

"Well we'll be sure not to disappoint you next time and take the full allotted time."

Morgana smirked at that, seeing Arthur flounder as his insultish compliment was turned back on him, "If you're quite finished Arthur, I'm not done with Rayna."

Arthur shook his head but turned to go, he'd already given Merlin and Marayna their chores for the day, if Morgana had stolen them away, it would be up to them to see all the chores finished by that night.

The second the door to the room was closed, Marayna turned and punched Merlin in the arm, hard, "Ow!" he cried, "What was THAT for!?"

"That was for not rescuing me as Morgana tried to drown me!" she pointed a warning finger at him.

"I wasn't trying to drown you," Morgana laughed, "I just…panicked."

"And that's rule one," Marayna turned to her with a small sigh, "Morgana…you _can't_ panic."

"Panic means flustering and stuttering and nerves," Merlin nodded, "And to everyone else, it'll mean guilt. No matter what, you have to act like you didn't do something or that nothing happened."

"Even if it means making Arthur think he's lost his mind, it has to be done," Marayna finished, "That's rule one, be careful and, if caught, be as innocent as you can be."

Morgana nodded, it was sound advice, When magic was mentioned, Uther completely lost his mind, in such cases it was best to be as calm and peaceful as possible, especially if YOU had just been the one doing the magic. She knew that Merlin sometimes stuttered and got flustered when he was caught, but he was like that about so many other things that it wasn't anything unusual for him to act that way around 'magic' as well. Marayna was a bit harder to peg down. She was always so confident that to imagine her stuttering was off putting. It made sense for her to just fire off back at the person talking to her and act as though nothing had happened.

She wasn't sure what her reaction would be, she hoped she would never be in a position like that where she'd have to act innocent while not being so, but she knew she couldn't seem guilty or the least bit alarmed or threatened or others would take it as guilt.

"Perhaps…water should wait," she conceded as she glanced at poor Marayna's sopping wet hair and handed her a small cloth towel to attempt drying it.

She didn't like the nightmares, she hated them, the last thing she wanted as more random flashes of the future that she couldn't understand or control but…it was the first step. It was the first step towards not having nightmares and she was determined to see it done right. She wanted to master her visions, not be mastered by them. If it meant putting up with a few daydream-nightmares then that was what she would do.

She wanted to make sure her visions were her own, that they would one day do as SHE wanted, when she wanted, that she could check into things with them and offer advice. And that wouldn't happen if she didn't work on controlling her powers now. She wanted that, she wanted control, and no matter how long it took her to reach it, she WOULD become someone who could see on sight.

She would be able to use her visions and her dreams to help people.

And that was all she wanted.

A/N: Oh thank god! FF worked! I hope this'll keep up. But, then again, there have been times the last week it worked one day and glitched again, but I've got my fingers crossed! :)

I wanted a chapter to sort of look at Morgana and some things for her :) I wanted to try and give her steps to take in strengthening her visions and things she could work on for honing them. I felt like it needed its own chapter as we'll be seeing much more of each element and her visions in relation to each popping up later ;)

I JUST realized that the story is ending tomorrow and I never put the poll up for the pairing name! O.O I'm sorry about that. How about we make today the last day to submit one for Marayna/Arthur and tomorrow I'll put the poll up, in a few chapters I'll post the pairing name in the second story :)

Lol, no real notes on reviews for the last chapter ;) I'm glad you enjoyed it though :)


	23. Le Morte d'Arthur

A/N: **Plagiarism :(**

Sorry! Sort of important note (I put it in late in yesterday's chapter and wanted to put it here for those who didn't see it). All though this is not related to Merlin, this IS about my stories :( I've been made aware that the author Phantom's Ange, who had originally plagiarized my Doctor Who story 'the Hidden Lady of Time', in her 'Rebel Companion' story, has, once again, plagiarized my story in the revision to her story, Hope's Light. I was contacted about her some minor instances of plagiarism in her Lazarus chapter and then again yesterday about LARGER instances in her lastest chapter (chapter 22) for the episode 42, and made aware that it appeared she had not revised it at all from how she originally posted it, save making an OC more present and changing the end scene slightly, and that a majority of the chapter was word for word identical to mine :(

I take plagiarism very seriously (having been plagiarized now 11 times since January 2013) and checked into it. I've had issues with this author through most of last year and had sworn _not_ to look at her revision (for the sake of my own sanity) after a second case of plagiarism was brought up in the sequel to her Rebel story (An Eternal Love) and promised myself not to look unless it was brought to my attention by readers that plagiarism was happening again. Sadly, it was brought to my attention :( I checked and there are very large portions that belong to me, discounting dialogue for the show, a majority of description and action were taken from my story. I have side-by-side comparison proof on my tumblr (link on profile), it is the most recent entry in my 'Plagiarizers' page, screencaps taken just yesterday.

I hate to do this, I really do, but I would like to request your help in reporting the chapter and author to the site.

I gave her the chance to edit the first time around, I tried not to nitpick the 'how someone speaks' (replied/says/nodded order), and then the story was removed to be 'revised.' But it was brought to my attention, and this was what first clued the other reader in to investigate more, that the chapter in question is NOT in the style the author normally writes and had been writing the enitre story to that point (tending to favor the use of 'said') but in _mine _(using varying words such as defended, requested, chastised, etc). It has led me to believe she has not been truly revising her story as promised despite it beginning differently than her original story, and I have posted the proof for anyone to see in screencaps of both stories on my tumblr if you wished to check first or you can feel free to compare the chapters yourself, I believe the plagiarism is noticable about 1/3 or 1/4 through her chapter. I am not sure if she will have been made aware of this by now and attempted to change the chapters or gloss over the event as had happened during the first plagiarism or remove the chapter itself, but I do have the screencaps up should this happen, this is the 3rd entry for Phantom's Ange in terms of plagiarism :(

I truly do hate to ask, but I need your help. I never ever bring up something as serious as plagiarism unless I have side by side comparison proof, or unless I am genuinely unsure if it is happening. Sadly, this is the first instance where I can provide you proof. This has gone on a year and there is now plagiarism appearing in the revised verison of her first story as well :( It may just be my interpretation of 'revision' to expect things to be combed through and different than a first telling, perhaps even rewritten in areas, but that chapter is largely the same that was posted originally and, unfortunately, the 'originally' was plagiarized from me.

Thank you :'(

~8~

Le Morte d'Arthur

It was all Marayna could do not to groan audibly as she trekked through the woods with Arthur and his small group of knights on their hunting trip. She didn't understand why the knights had to hunt ever innocent creature in the forest. Couldn't they work out their aggressions the way they normally did, beating each other with sticks in their 'training' or something? She could at least be grateful that Arthur seemed to have learned his lesson with the unicorn, he was a tiny bit more cautious in how he hunted. He took the time to see what it was he was aiming at before he released an arrow or struck it with a sword.

Arthur glanced back as he heard a cracking of a branch ahead of them and held out his hand to Merlin, "Merlin, spear…" he had barely gotten the word out of his mouth before he rolled his eyes as Merlin dropped it in the process of handing it to him, "Do you have _any_ natural gifts, Merlin?"

"No," Merlin remarked, "Well, let me think. I'm not naturally rude or insensitive."

"Just naturally irritating."

"And naturally the best big brother in the world," Marayna added, winking at her brother encouragingly. She'd made it a project of hers that, whenever Arthur or someone else insulted him, she countered with a positive thing, a positive and completely truthful thing. Merlin really WAS the absolute best brother anyone could ever ask for.

Arthur shook his head and moved forward with the spear, pausing when he heard a growling noise this time. He glanced back to his knights, about to command them to surround whatever the beast was, for it HAD to be a beast and not a gentler creature like a unicorn, only to catch sight of his servants' expressions, "It's probably more scared of you than you are of it," he tried to reassure them.

Merlin and Marayna exchanged a look, it wasn't THAT that was bothering them. They weren't afraid of the creature. If the absolute worst came to it, they had no qualms with using their magic to protect everyone, they WOULD do it to see Arthur and his friends safe. It wasn't the growl or the sure size of the beast…it was the magic they could feel emanating from ahead of them, from within the beast that was alarming them. Because they knew enough of magical beasts to know that it was likely that they would end up having to use magic on it or that it might even be more powerful than they were and end up unaffected by their own magic as a result.

Arthur signaled for the knights attempted to surround it…when the beast jumped out at them, too suddenly for them to get a strong look at it. They knew it was large, it was larger than any that Arthur seemed to think he or the knights could face with just their swords and spears as he dropped his, turning to push them on to run.

"Merlin!" Marayna gasped when she saw her brother trip, moving to help him with Sir Bedivere, the knight moving behind them to try and protect them from the beast as they ran on.

The small hunting party dashed behind more trees, pausing when they realized they _weren't_ being chased by the beast and let out a breath. All of them were panting from the run, relieved that the beast had stayed back though.

"Did we lose it?" Marayna glanced at Arthur, knowing he would, with his hunting skills, be better able to determine that.

"Who's missing?" Arthur looked around instead.

Merlin frowned, "Where's Sir Bedivere?"

They all froze when, in the distance, back the way they'd come…someone screamed.

~8~

Gaius stopped short when he entered his chambers to see Merlin and Marayna waiting there. He had been summoned to the Main Hall, to council, as soon as they arrived back, Arthur apparently having dismissed his servants so he could speak to his father. He had been there, listening to Arthur's retelling of the events, his vague description of the beast.

"This is no ordinary beast," he warned them, moving over to them, word of the hunt Uther had ordered already spreading and knowing that his wards would be expected to attend to Arthur during it.

"Don't worry," Merlin smiled.

"No, _listen_ to me, you don't understand. Uther may not respect the Old Religion, but it is very real. To face a beast such as this…you must understand where it came from."

"And where did it come from?" Marayna asked with a frown.

"At the very heart of the Old Religion lies the magic of life and death itself. The Questing Beast carries that power. One bite, you die, and there is no cure," he gave them the most serious look they had ever seen their uncle give and stilled, looking at each other before giving themselves a fierce nod, they would protect each other no matter what.

~8~

In her chambers, Morgana slept, having not gotten much rest the night before. She hadn't had nightmares, but she just…hadn't been able to sleep. It seemed that meditating during the day, relaxing her mind and breathing kept her energized enough long into the night that, at times she had trouble sleeping. She was hoping it was just because her body was so used to being tired so long that when she started to get stores of energy she operated on that first. Once she adapted to it, got used to not being so tired so often, she hoped that it would balance out and she would be able to rest more. Right now though, she thought a small nap would help…only to find that her mind was full of such terrible sights.

The Dragon was roaring, breathing fire, Merlin was shouting 'NO!' with Arthur, Merlin, and Marayna running through the woods, Arthur was sick and lying in bed, before Marayna glared at a woman in a red dress…the Questing Beast roared in anger…

And Morgana bolted up in bed, screaming.

"Morgana!" Gwen gasped, rushing to her, "Morgana?! Wake up! Wake up, it's me! It's Gwen! Stop it! It was just another dream."

"It was terrifying," Morgana shook.

"Oh, it's going to be alright," she hugged Morgana tightly before the woman curled up, her knees to her chest and Gwen knew what she needed to do, "I'll only be a moment," she promised before she ran out of the room, needing to find Merlin.

~8~

Morgana looked over as her door burst open and Merlin ran right to her side, she could hear Arthur outside in the courtyard through her open window, rallying the knights to fight the beast and winced, recalling that moment from her vision. She opened her arms, encircling Merlin, clutching him to her as she trembled, tears streaming down her eyes, knowing that she only had moments to express her concerns, for he and Marayna would be expected to join Arthur, but she could hardly catch her breath to speak she was so upset.

"Shh…" Merlin soothed, running a hand through her hair, "It's alright Gana, I'm here…"

Morgana took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm, this was too important for her fears or for her temperament to get the best of her, "You cannot let Arthur face the beast," she murmured, "Please!"

"Don't worry Morgana," Marayna stepped over, putting a hand on Morgana's arm, "We'll make sure he's safe. I promise."

"We'll make sure we're _all _safe," Merlin added when Morgana squeezed him tighter.

Morgana sniffled, relieved Merlin had come to calm her, she would have rushed out there, ranting and raving about how Arthur should stay and who knows what might have slipped from her mouth. She would have looked a sight, like a mad woman if she had…

They looked over, hearing the cheers of the knights and knew…it was time.

~8~

Arthur led the knights through the woods once more, all of them prepared this time, wearing armor, with stronger weapons than before…well, all of them except the poor servants who had been dragged along. He paused at a gigantic paw print in the mud, "Let's follow the trail," he ordered, the group moving closer…when they heard a growling and heavy footsteps, "Keep close."

They moved to a dark cave, spotting the entrance, and moved in…Arthur signaling for the knights to go one way, while he, Merlin, and Marayna split another way, all of them creeping along silently…till they heard hissing.

"What is it?" Merlin whispered.

"Shh!" Arthur warned, but he was too late, the beast snuck up on them and roared, startling them.

Marayna screamed as it moved to swipe at her, but Arthur pushing her out of the way, taking the hit himself as Merlin ran to his sister's side to help her up. They gasped, seeing the beast moving towards Arthur once more and ran over, Merlin waving the torch in front of it.

"Merlin!" Marayna cried, before holding out her hand, "_Fléoge!_" she incanted, making Arthur's sword float.

"_Bregdan anwiele gefeluc!_" he added, enchanting it as it went flying at the Questing Beast, striking it in the neck, killing it. He let out a breath, turning around…only to see Marayna was already at Arthur's side.

"It didn't bite you," she was mumbling as she checked Arthur over, "It didn't…it missed, it…" but then she stopped, holding up her hand and staring at it in horror…staring at the blood on it.

"Somebody help!" Merlin yelled out the cave before making his way to his sister's side, gently tugging the shell-shocked woman away from Arthur as the knights raced in to grab their fallen leader.

~8~

Marayna and Merlin swiped the table in Gaius's chambers clean as the knights placed Arthur's stretcher on it, the boy pale, covered in blood.

"What's happened?" Gaius gasped, looking at the wound, feeling as though he'd been punched in the gut at the realization, "He's been bitten."

"He was trying to save me," Marayna murmured, tears in her eyes as she shook, her brother beside her, his arm around her, holding her close, trying to comfort her, "It was aiming for me and…he…he pushed me out of the way."

"You must tell the king," Gaius looked at them as the knights left to do that.

"There must be something you can do," Merlin shook his head.

"I wish there was."

"Then I'll…I'll just have to…find a cure," Marayna determined, running into their rooms.

"Marayna!" he called, hearing a franticness in her voice before he turned to Arthur, "Can you hear me, sire?"

"Here," Marayna came out, shoving the magic book into Merlin's hands to hold as she opened it.

"The king'll be here any moment!" Gaius hissed, his eyes widening when he saw the book and realized what his wards were about to do.

"I don't care," Marayna snapped, desperate "I'm sorry uncle, but he can't die. He can't! I just…" she took a breath, "It's my fault, he was protecting me, and I _can't_ let him die."

Merlin nodded, agreeing, "It is _my _destiny to protect him. We haven't done all the things we're meant to do."

"That is a lament of all men," Gaius shook his head.

"Gaius, he's my _friend_."

"And he's my…" Marayna swallowed, closing her eyes before admitting it, out loud, to both her uncle and her brother, "Love," she whispered, blinking and looking at them, "I…I love him."

Gaius sighed, his heart breaking for his niece, "Then save him."

Merlin put the book down, flipping it open to the first healing spell they could find, "_Gestathole_!" they tried, but nothing happened. They doubted it would, healing wasn't their expertise, not like Morgana but…there was no time to go fetch her to help.

Marayna flipped through more pages, taking her brother's hand, "_Thurhhaele_!" they attempted, but still, Arthur was unaffected.

Marayna stared at Arhtur's pale face and shook her head slowly, "They…the spells take time, they just…they take time to work," she looked at her uncle, unwilling to believe this had happened, "Don't they?"

"The bite of the Questing Beast is a death sentence that no magic can overturn," Gaius shook his head.

"Where is the prince?!" Uther shouted from the halls, making Marayna flinch at the frantic quality in his voice, "Where is my son?!" he burst into the room, "Arthur!"

Merlin magically closed the book, knowing Uther wouldn't be looking for it at the moment.

"Do something, Gaius!" he demanded, rushing to his son.

"I am trying, your majesty."

"Gaius will find a cure," Merlin stated, his arms going around his sister as she wept quietly, and he knew…she really did love him, didn't she? She really loved Arthur…his sister never cried unless it was something serious and important to her, "He will not let him die."

"I will do everything in my power," Gaius promised.

Uther picked Arthur up, "I'll bear him to his chamber," and walked out to the square to take him back, before his grief overcame him and he sank to his knees, the knights coming to take Arthur from him as he wept…till Marayna pulled out of Merlin's arms and knelt by the king, putting a hand on his shoulder in comfort and shared despair.

That would likely be the only time Uther, king of Camelot, ever let a servant touch him so.

~8~

Merlin ran down to the Dragon's cave, Marayna not with him, she had refused to leave Arthur's side since he'd been taken out of Gaius's chambers, he needed to _do_ something to help, he _had _to, not just for his friend Arthur, but for his love Morgana, and his sister Marayna, both of whom cared for Arthur dearly.

"I have failed Arthur, failed in my destiny," he shouted, "I've failed my sister."

"And yet, you would not be here if that were true," the Dragon smiled.

"He was bitten by the Questing Beast. He's going to die."

"Does he still breathe?"

He paused, reaching out to Marayna, asking her in his mind, before nodding, "Only just, Aya says."

"Then there is still time to heal him."

"We've _tried_. We cannot save him. Even with our magic combined and Morgana is not near that experienced yet…"

"You do not know how to save him."

Merlin nearly pulled his hair out at that, of course they didn't know how to save him! He'd just SAID that! And yet the Dragon was talking as though they had all the time in the world, "But you can tell me how?"

"Perhaps. It will not be easy."

"We will do anything."

"Anything?"

Merlin nodded, "Please, just tell me what we have to do!"

"Very well," the Dragon nodded, FAR too pleased with Merlin's promise, "The Questing Beast is a creature conjured by the powers of the Old Religion. You must use the same ancient magic to save him."

"But the Old Religion died out centuries ago."

The Dragon sighed, "Have you not listened to anything your sister has told you of our discussions?"

Merlin rolled his eyes, "Not really, no."

She always seemed farm more interpreted in what the Dragon had to say than he did.

"The Old Religion is the magic of the earth itself. It is the essence which binds all things together. It will last long beyond the time of men."

"But how can _that _help us save Arthur?"

"You must find those who still serve it, those who hold dominion over life and death."

"Where?"

"One is already closer than you know."

"Where!?"

"Go to the place that men call the Isle of the Blessed, where the power of the ancients can still be felt. There you will discover Arthur's salvation."

"Thank you," Merlin breathed, "Thank you!"

"And Merlin," he called as Merlin moved to leave, "The young Pendragon _must_ live, no matter what the cost."

~8~

Marayna looked up as Merlin burst into Arthur's chambers, she was sitting at his bedside, a cloth in her hand as she dabbed at his forehead, "Aya…" he breathed, rushing over to kneel beside her, "I found out a way to save Arthur," he was already packed to leave, enough for one person, knowing she wouldn't go with him, not with Arthur in such a state.

"To the Isle of the blessed," she murmured, she'd heard it in his mind.

He nodded, reaching out to put a lock of hair behind her ears, "It's the only way to save him."

"Merlin," she swallowed hard, taking his hand, "A death for a life," she mumbled, looking into his eyes, "_Promise _me, that you won't _just_ offer your life…"

"I have to, if it'll save Arthur…"

"No," she shook her head, "I meant…offer _mine_ as well."

He blinked, "What?"

"They may not accept just one life," she frowned, unable to help but feel like…that might have been the point. Gaius had warned them once, that Nimueh had been aiming for THEM and not Arthur when a few incidents had happened. She couldn't help but feel like…that was the point of this, Arthur's life was well worth at least two…the two of THEM, "Offer the two of ours and we may have a chance," she smiled, squeezing his hand, "Where you go, I go, remember?"

He nodded slowly, _not_ pleased with that, it had certainly come back to bite him, that promise of hers, but he agreed, he'd force her to do the same if she were the one going, "Alright," he got up, leaning forward to kiss her forehead.

"I'll see you when you come back."

He nodded, "Keep him alive till then."

"I'll do as much as I can," she promised, turning to tend to Arthur as he left.

~8~

Uther entered Arthur's chambers later that night to see Marayna still awake, tending to his son, but yawning, "Retire for the night," he commanded, making his way over to another chair, sitting down across from her, "I shall watch over him."

"I can stay," she shook her head.

"You will need rest."

"So will _you_," she countered.

"I have servants to attend me," he reminded her, "You ARE a servant. It wouldn't do for servants to be falling asleep on themselves when doing their chores, hardly befitting a servant of a prince."

She scoffed lightly, that was _such_ an Arthur thing to say, "I see where he gets it from," she mumbled under her breath.

Uther frowned, having heard her, "What?"

"His pratishness."

Uther blinked, "Did you just call your king a…prat?"

She glanced over at him, yawning once more, "Honestly sire? I've not slept in the last three days and I doubt I'll be able to sleep in the next three, I can scarcely be held responsible for _anything_ I may call you."

Uther just eyed her, watching as she tended to his son, absolutely shocked at her gall to say that to him. On any normal day he would have her hung for it, but as he watched her tenderly dab his son's forehead with a cold cloth…seeing the bags under her eyes, knowing how attentive she'd been, how steadfast in her care of him…he knew she truly hadn't slept at all in her quest…he could…forgive this ONE instance.

Arthur stirred in his fevered sleep but Marayna wiped his forehead again, "Shh," she soothed, reaching out to stroke his cheek, "Sleep, Arthur. It's alright."

He watched, amazed, as his son began to calm, sleeping a bit more peacefully. Perhaps she could stay a while longer.

~8~

Marayna had moved to sit on the edge of the bed beside Arthur, the stool starting to hurt her backside. She could see the king had fallen asleep on his chair beside the bed, but…she couldn't sleep. Not with Arthur like this. She dipped the cloth in the bowl beside her and began to wipe his forehead again, there was little else she could do, dare mumble a spell with the king right there and have him wake would mean her head.

"You're _not _going to die, Artie," she smiled, "See, I almost like you like this, you can't stop me from calling you that. Artie. But in all seriousness, you really _won't_ die. I won't let you, in fact, I order YOU not to. So you better not, or I'll be very disappointed and cross. So you can't go, not till Merlin gets back anyway," she sighed, "You won't die, because…you're too strong. I know that one day you will be king. A greater king than you father could _ever_ be. And that…that's what keeps me here. Oh, you have _no idea_ how much I want to leave sometimes, to just…go somewhere where I can be…free," she breathed at the word, before shaking her head, "But I never can. Because all I can think of is you. What would happen to you if I wasn't there? And I _want_ to stay, because I want to see you grow stronger and greater. You are going to live to be the man I've seen inside you, Arthur. With you as king…I truly _can_ see a Camelot that is fair and just and…_happy_. Free from fear and persecution. I can see a king that the people will love and be proud to call their sovereign. For the love of Camelot, you _have_ to live. For the love of…me…you need to live. I…I love you and…I don't know what I'd do without you Artie," she closed her eyes, "_Arthur_," she corrected, it was far too serious a matter, "So please, _live_. For me?"

She blinked and sniffled, trying not to cry. She should have known that this wouldn't work, there was really nothing to do that would wake him up or heal him till Merlin returned. She knew her words wouldn't help him recover. It had been…foolish to say all that. She turned, facing the back wall, unable to look at him while gathering her bearings.

And, with her back turned, she never noticed Uther open his eyes and watch her, having heard _everything_.

~8~

Uther nearly jumped out of his seat…in a kingly fashion of course…when the door to his son's chambers burst open and Merlin and Gaius ran in, Gaius holding a small vile.

"What's that?" Uther pointed at it as Gaius stepped over, Merlin rushing to his sister's side to hug her when she too jumped up, startled.

"It's a..." Gaius hesitated, "It's a tincture made from the lobelia plant, an ancient remedy for poisonous bites."

"A cure?"

"We hope," Gaius moved over, lifting Arthur's head to gently pour the concoction in to his mouth.

"Do you really think it will have some effect?"

"Oh it'll have an effect," Marayna blanched, going along with the story that it was just a potion of Gaius's. She'd, of course, kept tabs on her brother's endeavors through it all. Pleased to see he HAD offered BOTH their lives in exchange for Arthur's with Nimueh, a priestess of the Old Religion, "It'll taste _horrid_."

"It's our last resort, Sire" Gaius gave her a mock-offended look too, "Perhaps you should allow him to rest."

"I will not leave him," Uther sat back down.

"Nor shall I," Marayna sat as well, Merlin squeezing her shoulders before heading out with Gaius, needing to find Morgana and tell her what had happened. In the insanity of the last few days, he hadn't gotten the chance to tell her much of anything.

She would _not _be happy, he knew.

~8~

Merlin was rushing down the corridor towards Morgana's chambers, when he was suddenly pulled into a small alcove, Morgana already there, "Please, Merlin," she begged, tears in her eyes, "Tell me you _didn't _do it!"

He could only look at her sadly, knowing she must have dreamt of what he'd done at the Isle, "I'm sorry."

She pulled him to her, weeping into his shirt as he held her to him for what he knew might be his last day on earth.

~8~

Later that day Gaius was back in Arthur's chambers, pacing, Uther hunched over the bed, asleep, while Marayna sat, with her eyes open, bags under them, clutching Arthur's hand as she waited, staring at him.

She gasped, feeling him squeeze her hand, waking Uther in the process. Uther looked down and they waited on baited breath as Arthur woke slowly.

"Arthur," Marayna smiled down at him.

Arthur looked up at her, offering a tired smile of his own, before putting his head back down.

~8~

Merlin looked up as Gaius led a barely functioning Marayna into his chambers, helping her to a cot and lying her down for some much needed rest. He smiled and moved over to her, placing a blanket around her, the girl already asleep.

"The prince lives," Gaius told him,

Merlin breathed a sigh of relief. It had been nearly dawn when they had given Arthur the potion, he and Marayna had this day and night before they would take the prince's place.

~8~

Arthur was sitting up in bed, speaking to his father, looking for all the world as though he hadn't been at death's doorway only hours ago.

"I thought we'd lost you," Uther murmured.

"Don't worry, father, I'm not going to die," he offered his father a smile, "I think there's someone watching over me, keeping me from harm."

"Maybe you're right. On your long journey to become king, you will need a guardian angel. I shall inform the court that their prince lives," he moved to the door, about to open it…when Marayna just walked in.

Uther shook his head, but his mood was too good to berate the servant for not knocking, and he stepped out past her.

"So sleeping beauty finally wakes," Marayna made her way over, not bothering to tidy the room, before sitting on his bedside.

Arthur reached out and took her hand, "I can remember you talking," he told her.

She blinked, "You…can?"

"You stroked my forehead too."

"To tend to your fever."

"And tending my fever required you to stroke my cheeks as well?" he smirked, catching her.

She rolled her eyes, "A fever attacks your whole body, doesn't it?" before she smirked as well, leaning in, "Or was there some…other…area you wanted me to stroke instead?"

He started to sputter at that, when she just gave him a laugh, leaning back further as she chuckled, making him realize she'd been joking.

"You never lost faith in me," he murmured, eyeing her.

"You've yet to let me down," she shrugged.

He smiled at that, "Tell me again what you said?"

"Oh, pity for you," she mock-hissed, "I don't remember."

"Yes, you do," he nudged her with his leg.

"Hmmm…nope."

"Come on," he took her hand, squeezing it, "Something about the man I am inside.'"

"I think you were delirious by that point."

"So you also deny you called my father a prat?"

"I didn't SAY that, I more…indirectly implied it."

He laughed, "So you admit it!"

"Of course I admit THAT," she smiled, "It's not every day a peasant gets the chance to call the King of Camelot a prat and live to tell the tale."

He laughed again before wincing as it tugged at his wounds, "Thank you Mara," he breathed, his thumb stroking over the back of her knuckles, "For staying with me."

She smiled sadly at him, "Always…Artie."

He shook his head, groaning as he flopped back on his bed, "Must you STILL call me that?" he mock-whined, "I thought we would be past that after the other things you admitted."

"And what could I have possibly admitted that would make me not call you Artie?" she shook her head.

He looked at her a long while, "That you love me."

She blinked and fell silent.

Arthur cleared his throat a moment, "You…DID say that," he murmured, not quite sounding unsure but more realizing that the topic was growing more serious than it had been, "And I know you, Mara, you never take back anything you say unless it was a true and grave mistake on your part," he looked at her intently, "Please…" he whispered, "Don't take that back."

She looked down at her hand, still held in his, and squeezed it, "Nothing will ever make me stop calling you Artie," was all she said, offering him a small smile before she stood and stepped out of the room.

Arthur blinked, before he started to smile…she hadn't taken it back.

~8~

Merlin laid awake that night, on Morgana's bed, both of them awake really, her in his arms, clutching him, both of them wanting to spend as much time as they could together. Marayna having spent some time with Arthur as well, before going to their uncle, not wanting him to be alone on the night he might lose them both. They both knew that Gaius was aware of the bargain Merlin had made and…she couldn't do that to their uncle.

So, when morning came, and both found themselves still alive they were overjoyed. Merlin ran back to Gaius's chambers to tell him the good news, that a miracle had happened, stepping into the room just as Marayna stepped out of their own.

"Uncle!" Marayna was calling.

"We're still alive!" Merlin added, but they both stopped short, seeing him crouched over someone who was collapsed on the floor, "What is it? What's happened?"

"Merlin, Marayna," he shook his head, "Stay there!"

"What's wrong?" Marayna moved forward.

"No, don't!"

But it was too late, they could see the figure clearly…their mother, covered in sores, struggling to breathe, "Mother!" they gasped, running to her side.

"Mer…lin…" she wheezed, "Ma…rayna…"

"What's _happened _to her?" Marayna demanded, frantic.

"She's gravely ill," Gaius told them.

"Do something!" Merlin shouted.

"If I could…"

"_Please_, uncle," Marayna begged.

"This is no ordinary illness."

"This can't be happening..."

"Who did you meet at the Isle of the Blessed?" Gaius turned to Merlin.

"Nimueh," Merlin replied.

"Nimueh?!"

"It was as you said. She demanded a price, but I bargained my life and Aya's," Merlin explained, "_Not_ our mother's!"

"Merlin, Rayna…I wish there was something I could do."

"We'll make you better," Marayna whispered, stroking her mother's hair, "We promise."

~8~

Merlin and Marayna rushed down the stairs to the Dragon's cave, "You _knew_ this would happen!" Merlin accused, glaring at the overgrown lizard, "You had me trade our mother's life for Arthur's!"

"You said you would do anything," the Dragon remarked.

Marayna frowned, "Did you _know_ our mother would die?"

"I knew the price would be a heavy one," he sidestepped.

"But you sent me anyway," Merlin glared.

"We need Arthur to live."

"We are not one of you!"

"We are all creatures of the Old Religion. It is the source of your powers."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Merlin shook his head as Marayna's frown deepened.

He gave Merlin a long look, "Your destiny is to protect the young Pendragon until he claims his crown. And when he does, your destiny," he looked at Marayna, "Is to become his Queen and return magic to the realm. Only then will I be free."

"Oh. So that's _all _you cared about? I thought you were our friend."

"I am more than that, Merlin. I am your kin."

"No. The only family we have is our mother and each other, and you had me _murder _her!"

"Her life has not been taken in vain," the Dragon tried to calm them, Marayna looking down at the ground, feeling betrayed, "We will achieve great things together, you and I."

"You will _never _be released!" Merlin swore, "For what you've done, I'll make sure you never see the light."

"Merlin!" he roared, breathing fire at him.

Marayna quickly stepped up, "_Gescildan!_" she held up her hand, her eyes glowing gold as she blocked the flames, nearly sending them flying back at the Dragon, turning his attack on himself till they died out.

"You won't see us again," Merlin swore, before taking Marayna's hand and pulling her out of the room.

~8~

"Where is she?" Merlin demanded as he and Marayna entered Gaius's chambers again.

"She's sleeping," he nodded towards their rooms.

"We have to save her, uncle," Marayna stated.

"You cannot."

"If the balance of the world needs a life, then Nimueh must take mine," Merlin remarked.

Marayna frowned, looking down, thinking on that. It had been a far cry, she knew, to try and offer 2 lives for 1. Their mother was proof that only one life would be taken. And…something about it wasn't sitting right with her about all of it. Nimueh had been trying to take their lives for ages, why wouldn't she jump at the opportunity to weaken them by taking one of their lives?

The Old Religion would only take one of them.

"No, Merlin."

"Yes. I will return to the Isle…"

"You are young. Your gifts, your destiny, are far too precious to sacrifice."

"_My destiny_? This is our _mother_. Our powers mean nothing if we cannot save her," he looked at Gaius solemnly, "You have taught me and Aya so much. Taught us who we are, taught us the purpose for our skills, taught us that magic should only be used for great deeds. But most of all, you have always taught us to do what is right."

"Merlin…" Marayna began, shaking her head.

Merlin sniffled, "I need to say goodbye to Morgana," he murmured, turning to leave.

Marayna waited only a moment before running out of the room.

~8~

"I can see your promises do not last long," the Dragon remarked as Marayna entered the cave.

"_Merlin_ promised that," Marayna reminded him, "Not me."

"And what do you seek?"

"I need your help…" she hesitated, "You keep saying Merlin and I are of the Old Religion, that my birth changed the fate of Camelot as did Merlin's…"

"Yes."

"I know Merlin is more powerful than me, he could fight Nimueh, he could…but if he doesn't know a spell to stop her…I'd rather her take _my_ life than his," she took a breath, "I need you to give me a spell, one true to the Old Religion. I will _not _let her have my family."

"And what shall you do?" he eyed her.

"A death for a life," she shrugged, "Nimueh for my mother."

"You hope to take on a priestess of the Old Religion?" he raised an eyebrow at her.

"With your help," she nodded, "I need you to give me that advantage, that power, that magic."

He eyed her, "The magic is already within you. You recall the words of the sorceress Gretchen yes?" he asked, seeing Marayna frown, "YOU are the one with the true claim to the title not just of priestess, but HIGH Priestess of the Old Religion. The power is within you, locked in the recesses of your mind."

"Then can you…unlock it?" she asked, "Please, if it will save my family…"

"And what shall you do for me?"

She swallowed hard, "I will get Merlin to retract his promise."

The Dragon nodded, "So be it," he murmured, before breathing on her as she closed her eyes, feeling the magic swarm through her, a knowledge flooding her mind…

~8~

"Mara!" Arthur cheered as she entered his chambers to see him up and about, his arm in a sling though.

"How are you?" she asked quietly.

"Good."

"That's…good."

"Yes. I owe it all to Gaius."

"You owe it all to _Merlin_," she corrected, determined to see him get his proper dues, "_He's_ the one who got the herb that healed you."

"Ah," he nodded, "Well then, tell him to come see me and I shall be sure to thank him."

She nodded, "I need to talk to you."

"You still haven't got it yet, have you?" he smiled, "_I_ decide when we need to talk."

"Just as I decide when to listen," she smirked, before it fell, "But not today. Today…there's no time for games."

"Your games are entertaining though. Are you ever going to change?"

"Never," she shook her head, "You can take the girl from Ealdor but not Ealdor from the girl. And besides, you'd get bored. But um, promise me something though," she hesitated, "If you get a second servant, don't get a bootlicker and be sure to treat my brother well."

He frowned, "If this is you trying to leave your job..."

"No," she shook her head, stepping over to him to take his free hand, "I've actually rather come to like being your servant. I think I could be happy doing it to the day I die."

"Sometimes I think I know you, Mara," he smiled reaching out to put a lock of hair behind her ears, "Other times..." he shook his head.

"That's women for you," she smiled, "Have to keep our men on their toes."

"Oh, so I'm YOUR man then?"

"MY Master, aren't you?" she laughed, "And you're a great one. You're a great warrior and, one day, you'll be a great king sire."

"That's very kind of you," he murmured, feeling an all too familiar thrill go through him at hearing her call him 'sire.'

"But you need to be sure you actually keep your promise and LISTEN to others though."

"Any other pointers?" he rolled his eyes.

"No. That's it. Just...don't be a prat to my brother," she added, before turning to leave.

~8~

Marayna stepped into Gaius's chambers to see him packing a small bag, "What are you doing?"

"Oh, Rayna!" he gasped, putting a hand over his heart as he spun to face her, "You startled me."

Marayna frowned and stepped over to him more, "You didn't answer, what are you doing?" Gaius was silent, "Uncle! What are you doing!?" she reached out and snatched a parchment he'd just been putting in the bag, to see a map to the Isle of the Blessed,.

"Marayna…" he began.

"No," she shook her head, rolling it up and putting it in the belt of her dress, "No, you're _not _doing this."

"Marayna, please understand, I'm old, my life is…"

"Just as important as mine," she cut in, "More so…" she swallowed hard, "Someone must be here for Merlin."

Gaius frowned, "What…"

"Slǣp," she breathed, her eyes flashing gold before she lurched forward to catch Gaius as he nearly collapsed, sleeping, "I'm so sorry Uncle," she whispered, laying him down on a cot, before grabbing the pack and rushing out.

~8~

Merlin was standing in Morgana's chambers, the woman in his arms. He'd just told her of what he had to do, what had happened to his mother and what must be done to restore balance. She, of course, didn't want him to go, didn't want to lose him, but didn't want him to lose his mother either. She could still recall the familiar pain of when she'd lost her father, she wouldn't ever want him to experience that. She sniffled, hugging him tighter…

When the door burst open and Gwen ran in, "Have you seen Rayna?" she demanded, an urgency in her voice.

"No…why?" Merlin frowned.

"Gwen what happened?" Morgana stepped out of his arms and to her maid.

"I was tending to Hunith for Gaius, he said he had to get some supplies. But when I stepped out to get more water…Gaius was asleep on a cot, his bag was gone, Marayna wasn't anywhere. I woke him up but he didn't know and…" she hesitated.

"What is it?" Merlin asked, fear filling him.

"I asked Arthur and he said he thinks she might have quit or something…" she shook her head, "I…I think she may have gone to the Isle."

"No!" Merlin shouted, running out of the room, straight out of the castle and to the stables, to Arthur's stables, stopping short when he saw Bartok was gone, she truly had left.

"Merlin!" Morgana gasped as she and Gwen caught up to him, "Wait…"

"I can't," he shook his head, running for his horse, well, not HIS horse, but the one he usually rode on when Arthur went out and dragged them along, "I have to save Aya…"

"I know," Morgana cut in, "But not alone."

"Gana…" he began.

"Rayna may be your sister, Merlin, but she is OUR friend," she said, determined, Gwen already preparing Morgana's horse for her, "And if something has happened…I can at least try to help heal her."

"Gwen…" he looked at her.

Gwen nodded, "I know, look after your mum, and Arthur."

"Thanks," he breathed, before turning to ready his horse, only to see it already saddled, he frowned.

"You are not to go anywhere without me," Gaius called, trotting over on a horse of his own, a bag of medical supplies and herbs with him, fearing the worse.

Merlin nodded, hopping onto the horse and kicking it on, he and Morgana taking off.

'_Aya!_' he shouted in his mind, praying she'd hear him.

'_I'm sorry Merlin._'

'_Aya, what are you doing!?_'

'_I'm not about to let you give your life for this._'

'_So you'll give YOURS?_'

'_Of course not, I'm going to stop Nimueh._'

His eyes widened '_You're going to battle her? Aya she's a high priestess of the old religion! We've barely been practicing in our magic for a year!_'

'_I know what to do Merlin,_' she reassured him, '_She WANTS me to give my life._'

'_What?_'

'_We can't bargain two lives for mother's,_' she realized, '_She couldn't take YOUR, and I wasn't there at the time to truly offer mine. Because I wasn't there, it had to be yours and only yours that she could have taken. But she CAN'T take the life of Emrys._'

'_But YOU'RE Reesa!_'

'_Exactly,_' she reminded him, '_She wants me out of the picture Merlin for too many reasons, for my claim to her title, for the future that Camelot would have. Those destinies the Dragon told us about. It all changed after I was born._'

'_Aya…_'

'_I'm sorry Merlin, but without me…your destiny will still exist. I'm sorry._'

And then he winced, feeling her block him from her mind.

"We need to hurry," he called to Morgana, urging his horse on faster, "She's going to battle Nimueh."

"Battle her!?" Morgana gasped, she knew of Nimueh, Merlin and Marayna had told her of the sorceress and the hand she'd had in the incidents around Camelot, she was powerful, VERY powerful.

"This was Nimueh's plan all along. She took our mother so that Aya would give her life."

"Why?"

"Our destinies," he glanced at Morgana, "Before Aya was born, the destiny of Camelot was to rise and _fall_…but after…it changed. It became a prosperous kingdom that would withstand the test of time. Which destiny do you think Nimueh would prefer?"

Morgana looked down, "I don't think she knows of the last one."

Merlin swallowed hard, he didn't either. No magic user who knew of it would _dare_ try to harm Marayna, not when SHE would be the reason for magic's return. And…if that was true, what did Marayna mean by her claim to Nimueh's title?

~8~

"Well, well, well," Nimueh smirked, appearing before Marayna as she stepped up to an old stone altar in the middle of the Isle, "Reesa, in the flesh."

"Nimueh," she stood tall, firm, eyeing the sorceress as though she were nothing more than a bug she'd love to crush.

It was…odd…the magic she could now feel inside her, the knowledge, the…freedom. She knew, she understood now. It was like that inkling she'd always felt, the connection to her magic, was stronger, more connected to the will of the Old Religion than before.

And she understood.

Everything.

Nimueh eyed her, "Have you come to offer your life in exchange for your dear mother's?"

Marayna's eyes narrowed, yes, she understood what Nimueh's goal had been, to see Camelot fall, through her. But Nimueh…she was too blinded by her hate, much like Uther, she couldn't see what was to be, why she had truly come.

"No."

Nimueh scoffed, "No?" before laughing, "With all my powers of prediction, I could never have foretold this."

"And that's just it, your powers are _limited_, your vision is short, you are not a _true_ Seer like the Lady Morgna or else you'd know the future of Camelot, you'd know your own fate."

Nimueh's smirk faded to a frown, "And what do YOU know of my fate?"

Marayna took a breath, magic surging through her as she felt Merlin and Morgana and Gaius set foot on the Isle, knowing they could hear her, knowing she had to be quick, she had to do this before one of them got hurt.

"I know that while you are a priestess of the Old Religion," she smirked, "You are NOT the High Priestess. You do not posses that power."

Merlin gasped, hearing a hidden meaning in Marayna's words, her earlier comment making sense now…SHE was meant to the be High Priestess…

Nimueh, seeming to realize this as well, glared.

"You would know that the Old Religion does not care who lives and who dies! Only that the balance of the world is restored. To save a life, a life must be taken," she pointed at Nimueh, "And I shall have YOURS."

Nimueh's eyes widened, as though finally sensing the power and magic swarming off the girl before her. She quickly lifted her hand, "_Forbærne_!" a fireball appeared in her hand, "_Ácwele_!" and hurled the fireball at her.

"No!" Merlin cried, rushing forward and shoving his sister out of the way, taking the hit meant for her.

"Merlin!" she and Morgana screamed, Morgana rushing to his side, as Gaius moved to tend to the burn on his chest, the boy, luckily, still alive.

Marayna started to breathe heavily, seeing her brother on the ground, having taken a hit meant for her, just like Arthur had, both men injured because of their need to protect her…well, she'd have to prove to them she could handle herself so they wouldn't ever do that again.

Her hands clenched into fists as she turned a murderous look at Nimueh's smirking face, "_Ástríce_!" she threw her magic at Nimueh, who seemed stunned she was actually being attacked, and dove out of the way, "You should _not _have harmed my brother!" she screeched, "I am not as gentle as him, I will fight back!" before holding her arms out, she let out a primal roar, shouting words in the Old tongue to the sky, Merlin and Morgana watching in slight awe as fire began to appear on her hands, swarming up her arms till she was surrounded by it.

"No!" Gaius gasped, "Marayna don't! It's too powerful!"

"What is it?" Merlin wheezed in pain as Morgana turned to look down at his wound, focusing on healing him, he could tell by how Gaius used her full name that whatever it was…was not good.

"She conjured a Firefiend," he explained, "A creature of living fire. Fire…is the most powerful natural element to wield in the Old Religion, the most difficult to control. To conjure a Firefiend…is nearly a death sentence. They draw their power from something in order to appear, a person, life energy…if she can't control the fiend…it will destroy her."

"Aya!" Merlin struggled, feeling his wound healing as Morgana poured her magic into it, a far more grievous wound than she'd ever treated before.

"My god…" Gaius breathed, watching as Marayna sent the fire flying right at a terrified Nimueh, who screamed as she was consumed by it and destroyed, Marayna collapsing to her knees.

Merlin pushed himself up, now healed, as he and Morgana ran to her side, catching her as she started to fall to the ground, pale, shaking, Gaius hurrying to her side as well, "Aya!" he gasped, holding her, "Aya, are you alright?"

Marayna looked up at him, blinking quickly, "She's gone?"

"Yes," he nodded.

She smiled, "Good…" before she promptly fainted, something she was sure Merlin would not ever let her live down.

Gaius took her hand in his, feeling for her pulse on her wrist, letting out a breath, "She's fine…her pulse is weak, but steady, and not growing weaker…" he looked at Merlin, "She'll be just fine but…we need to get her back to Camelot."

Merlin nodded, closing his eyes a moment before he picked his sister up. He was going to have a LONG discussion with her about this, about what she'd done, and about where she'd learned that spell. That was…beyond anything that he knew the magic book held.

~8~

Arthur was standing in the Main Hall with his father, who was extolling his victory over the Questing Beast to the council, when he paused, hearing a commotion outside. He looked out the window to see a crowd gathering around something in the courtyard. He squinted, his eyes widening when he saw it was Marayna, cradled in Merlin's arms, much like, he'd been told, his father had carried him after he'd been attacked.

Fearing the worst, he ran out of the room, ignoring his father's shouts, and out into the courtyard where Merlin had just reached the stairs to the castle, Morgana and Gaius at his side, "Mara!" he shouted, rushing to Merlin, "What happened?"

Merlin glanced at Morgana who nodded, they'd come up with a story on the way back, not wanting Arthur to know about their deals with Nimueh, "She found out who sent the Questing Beast to Camelot," he began, "The Sorceress Nimueh."

"Nimueh!" Uther gasped, his eyes wide as he came up behind them.

Gaius nodded, "Marayna sought the woman out, she wanted to stop her from conjuring another beast…"

Uther's eyes widened as she looked at the unconscious woman now pulled into Arthur's arms, "She succeeded?"

"Yes, My Lord," Morgana nodded, "We saw her, Nimueh underestimated her, let her get too close and she…um…ran Nimueh through with a sai," she glanced at Arthur, knowing that Uther would only hear that Nimueh was gone, whereas Arthur would find it more believable an event for it to be THAT weapon than a sword.

Uther nodded, stunned, "If I may," Gaius nodded at Marayna, wanting to tend to her.

"Yes, of course," Uther stepped aside, letting Arthur carry her to the physician's chambers once more.

So stunned was he, that he didn't even notice Morgana taking Merlin's hand as they passed and not let go.

~8~

Marana blinked awake, groaning as she winced and held a hand to her throbbing head. Was this what Arthur felt like when she knocked him out? Perhaps she shouldn't anymore…before shaking that idea off, no, it was far too much fun.

"So you're finally awake," a voice said beside her. She looked over to see Arthur sitting there much like she had sat beside him to care for him, "Your mother, Gwen, Morgana, Merlin, and Gaius are in there," he nodded at the door to the main chambers, "Waiting till you woke up."

She nodded, pushing herself up more, "Best go tell them I'm not dead then."

Arthur was silent, looking at her a long while, "I'm hurt."

"Yes I know" she rolled her eyes, seeing his arm was still in a sling, "The Questing Beast tore at you and…"

"No," he cut in, "I'm hurt somewhere else."

She frowned, eyeing him as though trying to determine where, "No, you're not."

"Yes, I am," he reached out with his free hand and took hers, lifting it as he moved to sit on the side of her cot, placing it on his heart, "Here," he breathed, looking into her eyes, "You left…" he murmured, "You were going to leave. You went to fight a _sorceress_ all on your own. Mara…you could have died! You almost did!"

She eyed him a moment, lifting her hand to his cheek, "And now we're even," she offered him a smile, before patting his cheek, "Now, for once, don't be a prat and go tell my family they can stop worrying and start smothering me."

Arthur blinked as she laid back down, closing her eyes to rest before he got up and went to do just that. Marayna cracked an eye open when she heard the door open and smirked, look at that, the Crown Prince taking orders from a servant. Well, it had only taken her a year, he still needed a bit of training, but…they had all the time in the world now.

And she was sure she'd rather enjoy seeing just what she could get him to do.

To be continued…in…Flames!

A/N: I can't believe the story's over! O.O But...surprise! In just 6 hours the next story will be up :) I'm trying to fit 3 new main-show stories into this year, Merlin (all 5 series), Once Upon a Time (3 current seasons), and Big Bang Theory (7 current seasons) and I worked out that, in order to do it, I need to post the next story in a series on the same day the last one ends :) So...check back in only a few short hours for the very next story in the Prophecies! :)

I hope you liked the tiny change about what happened on the Isle, I tried to not have Marayna fully take Merlin's place in that she was going with the full intent of taking Nimueh out (or die trying) instead of giving up her life, it was more to protect her brother from doing just that :) And I made the spell that the Dragon gave her different to suit her different personality than her brother :) I can say she won't often 'take his place' like that, but I felt, having nearly lost Arthur, and then to be faced with possibly losing her brother, it was very much a Marayna thing to do to go there and launch an offensive on Nimueh :)

I can say though, there's something very important about the moments that Arthur and Marayna were together here, things that were said/unsaid }:) And there'll be more of Uther's thoughts on what he overheard coming up :)

I just want to take a second to say thank you :) So to anyone who's ever read/reviewed/favorited/followed this story, thank you guys :) It really means a lot to me to know that you've been enjoying it so far :) I love you all, you rock! :)

The poll for the pairing name will be up in about 6 hours when the second story begins ;)

Some notes on reviews...

Oh I can say we'll see quite a bit of Morgana and Marayna teaming up ;)

Awww, thanks so much! I'm glad you're enjoying the story even with Arthur/OC :)


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